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The Preparedness Plan for Influenza Pandemic 2012 of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was put to test today (January 25) during an exercise code-named "Exercise Amber", organised by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) in collaboration with other government departments and organisations.
The Exercise aimed at testing the response actions to the locally acquired novel influenza infection of a Hong Kong citizen, with emphasis on the raising of the response level according to the risk to the community. The exercise scenario unfolded against the background that the response level had already been raised to "Emergency". Under the scenario, Hong Kong had 300 local cases and 40 fatal cases of the novel influenza, which had been recently initially identified in overseas countries.
Under the Exercise simulation, three inmates of an elderly home, through active contact tracing, were found to be close contacts of a confirmed 75-year-old patient with the novel influenza during their stay within the same cubicle in a hospital with the infected patient. The infected patient had died shortly after admission to the hospital. The three inmates returned to the elderly home before the death of the infected patient.
In consideration of the care needs of the three close contacts and the fact that the quarantine centres were nearly fully occupied, on-site quarantine was set up in the elderly home where the three inmates stayed.
Inter-departmental co-ordination in setting up on-site quarantine to isolate the three inmates in the elderly home was tested. Outbreak team officers and infection control officers from the CHP assessed the suitability of the facilities and the premises of the elderly home for on-site quarantine and gave advice to the staff on proper infection control measures. Disinfection of the premises under the supervision of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department was also performed. Ground movement of relevant departments to handle other possible scenarios to deal with requests from relatives of the inmates and local residents of the building was involved.
The Exercise provided a valuable opportunity for the DH and other departments and organisations concerned to try out relevant contingency plans and identify areas for improvement. It also enhanced community and health-care personnel awareness, preparedness and the ability to respond to possible epidemics.
About 100 participants from relevant government departments and organisations took part in the Exercise, with 15 experts from the Mainland and Macau health authorities attending as observers.
Ends/Friday, January 25, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:46
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