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The Hospital Authority announced today (June 14) that it would implement the Enhanced Surveillance Programme as recommended by the Central Committee on Infectious Disease (CCID) during an urgent meeting today.
The decision follows notification from the Health Department of Guangdong Province of a suspected human case of avian influenza H5N1 in Shenzhen, Meanwhile, all infection control measures under the current Yellow Alert are still in effect and Hong Kong people are encouraged to wash hands before and after visiting public hospitals and to put on masks when necessary.
An authority spokesman said that public hospital experts in various disciplines and representatives from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) discussed in detail the authority's Infection Control Plan for Avian Influenza in view of the latest situation. The CCID decided to implement a three-week Enhanced Surveillance Programme from tomorrow (June 15).
Public hospitals should report to the authority's e-Flu system all patients fulfilling the case definition of having pneumonia (all types) of unidentified etiology and who had travelled in the seven days before the onset of symptoms, to affected areas/ countries with confirmed human cases of avian influenza infection in the past six months. This special Enhanced Surveillance Programme will be reviewed in three weeks' time.
At the same time, public hospitals will be reminded to set up segregated zone in high-risk clinical areas, such as Accident & Emergency Departments and general out-patient clinics, to monitor and manage patients with infection symptoms.
Meanwhile, two specialists from the authority, Dr Lai Sik-to, Consultant In-charge of Infection Control Team of Princess Margaret Hospital and Dr Thomas Mok, Chief of Service of Department of Respiratory Medicine of Kowloon Hospital, joined the CHP delegates to visit Shenzhen this afternoon (June 14) to collect more information about the suspected case. The authority will continue to co-operate with the CHP to keep the public and professionals posted on the most updated situation and relevant information.
Ends/Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:15
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