Thursday, November 7, 2013

Hong Kong: Ko Wing Man: Anti-H7N9 measures up to high standards

From the Hong Kong Government News Network

November 6, 2013
   Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said that influenza will start at 20 degrees or less active, Mainland twelve weeks prior to the emergence H7N9 cases. Hong Kong's existing supply of live poultry for the H7N9 risk management measures has reached a very high level, some experts believe that is enough, some experts have proposed to do more to follow up with the Mainland authorities.    Ko Wing Man today (November 6) Inspection "2013-14 Annual Government Vaccination Programme" implementation after meeting with the media, said that since last year, East outbreak H7N9 avian flu, the Hong Kong health care system and food safety authorities have taken a series of measures, there has been no let up, and today there are meeting risk assessment.    He said that the current H7N9 virus genes have not found major changes, so to maintain the level of risk assessment. The Government will strengthen the temperature probe in the port of entry, and strengthen education, improve cross-boundary students and other health conscious. Hospitals, in addition to the prevention of various diseases with high morbidity winter and seasonal flu, we will also strengthen against H7N9 in "Early diagnosis and isolation", and other infection control measures.    Speaking recently, Dongguan City, a year-old boy diagnosed with avian influenza A H7N9 infection, he said that the mainland still had for the boy to be inspected poultry markets, has introduced a series of poultry wholesale and retail markets for the control of measures, including cleaning, suspension and "clear day" and other similar policies in Hong Kong. He attended the annual event tomorrow to Shenzhen inspection and quarantine seminar will follow up with the Mainland authorities prevention and control measures.    Ko Wing Man said Hong Kong has two annual seasonal influenza season, mainly between winter to spring. Government has embarked on influenza vaccination and subsidy schemes were hospitalized chronic high-risk groups of people vaccinated, children and the elderly and funding to private clinics vaccinated.    He said that the flu itself is not a serious illness, but there are few people, especially low resistance and chronic diseases, seasonal flu might arise from the more dangerous complications. If large-scale outbreak of influenza in Hong Kong, while avian invasion, there may make two kinds of influenza virus in the same recombinant human body, when flu may be more severe or high pathogenicity, so I hope the public will receive the seasonal flu vaccine.
http://www.news.gov.hk/tc/categories/health/html/2013/11/20131106_154647.lin.shtml 

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