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Two orders adding "chickenpox" to the list of notifiable infectious diseases in Hong Kong were published in the Government Gazette today (November 13).

A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) said: "This addition, effected under Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance (Amendment of First Schedule) Order 1998 and the Prevention of the Spread of Infectious Diseases Regulations (Amendment of Form) Order 1998 will come into operation on February 1 1999."

"The arrangement will allow sufficient time for medical practitioners to be familiar with the new requirement to notify the Director of Health of the disease and for DH to distribute new forms to relevant persons."

He pointed out that reporting of infectious diseases is an important element to the surveillance, control and prevention of outbreak of infectious diseases.

He said a "chickenpox" vaccine was licensed in Hong Kong in 1996 and some private doctors have used it to vaccinate children.

"The Advisory Committee on Immunisation (ACI) has met and discussed the usefulness of this new vaccine and came to a conclusion that it has not yet been appropriate to introduce 'chickenpox' vaccine into the routine immunisation programme of Hong Kong.

"However, the ACI recommended that 'chickenpox' should be added to the list of infectious diseases specified in the First Schedule to the Ordinance so that DH could monitor the occurrence and complication of the disease and assess the impact of the 'chickenpox' vaccination on local disease pattern. The data is useful for planning future prevention and control strategies," he added.

Currently, there are 26 infectious diseases on the list of notifiable infectious diseases.

End/Friday, November 13, 1998

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