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The Civil Aviation Department is hosting the First Steering Committee Meeting of the Co-operative Arrangement for Preventing the Spread of Communicable Diseases through Air Travel (CAPSCA) today (August 30) and tomorrow in Hong Kong at Two International Finance Centre.
The CAPSCA project was initiated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) with an aim of reducing the risk of spreading avian influenza and similar communicable diseases by air travel through co-operative arrangements among the participating states/administration and airports.
The two-day meeting provides a forum for aviation and medical experts to share experience in the implementation of the ICAO guidelines for preventing the spread of communicable disease through air travel and identify effective preventive measures. The delegates will also have a chance to visit the Hong Kong International Airport and see the measures and equipment that Hong Kong is adopting for preventing the spread of communicable diseases and pandemic planning.
"I am delighted that ICAO has taken an initiative in launching the CAPSCA project to co-ordinate the co-operative arrangements among members to reduce the risk of spreading of avian influenza and similar communicable diseases by air travellers," the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Norman Lo, said at the opening session today.
Mr Lo said that in light of the rapid and widespread characteristics of avian influenza and its potential for a human pandemic, it was primarily important for states in the region to pool their experience and make concerted efforts to prevent its spread in order to minimise its impact on air travel.
About 60 delegates from 25 organisations, including the civil aviation administrations, ICAO, World Health Organisation, International Air Transport Association and Airports Council International have registered for the meeting.
At present, six civil aviation administrations - Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand - are CAPSCA members. Under the CAPSCA project, the ICAO will send experts to visit participating members' airports to ensure its guidelines for preventing the spread of communicable diseases are implemented by the relevant civil aviation authorities, airport authorities, health authorities and airlines.
In December 2006, the ICAO CAPSCA team visited Hong Kong and conducted an evaluation. The team concluded that the relevant policies, training and communication procedures at the Hong Kong International Airport fully complied with ICAO guidelines.
Ends/Thursday, August 30, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:01
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