27 May 2010
An inter-departmental meeting was held today (May 27) to review the latest situation of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) and Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection in Hong Kong as well as the current preventive and control measures taken by various departments and parties against the diseases.
The meeting was organised by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health in view of the recent increase in HFMD and EV71 activity. Participants included representatives from Education Bureau (EDB), Hospital Authority (HA), Social Welfare Department (SWD), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD).
Speaking after the meeting, CHP's Consultant Community Medicine (Communicable Disease), Dr S K Chuang, said departments concerned agreed that concerted efforts were important in tackling the diseases.
The meeting also discussed further preventive and control strategies by different departments and parties, and agreed that the current criteria on class suspension of individual child care institutions/ schools due to EV 71 infection would be maintained.
Dr Chuang said examples of scenarios requiring class suspension included occurrence of further cases in an institution attended by a confirmed EV 71 case after stepping up control measures; occurrence of an EV71 case who is suffering from severe complications and the institution the child attends has an associated Hand Food and Mouth disease (HFMD) outbreak.
EV71 is a viral infection usually found among young children. Most of the EV71 infections cause mild illness such as HFMD while a small proportion of the affected persons will develop complications.
Dr Chuang said CHP had recorded 32 EV71 cases so far this year, which was higher than the corresponding periods in last year. The number of EV71 cases in 2007, 2008 and 2009 were 12, 98 and 31 respectively.
She added that CHP's surveillance data has showed a continuous rise in HFMD since mid-March this year.
"We have already put in place surveillance systems for HFMD and EV71 infections including outbreak notification, sentinel clinics, and laboratory surveillance," Dr Chuang said.
Earlier in March and April, CHP had sent letters to these institutions to advise them about the importance of good personal and environmental hygiene in the prevention of HFMD and EV71. CHP has also issued letters to doctors reminding them to be vigilant of the diseases.
With the coordination of SWD and EDB, CHP has organized refresher health talks for management of childcare centres and schools in April with a view to enhancing their knowledge in preventing EV71 infection.
The interdepartmental meeting agreed to carry out the following measures to strengthen the prevention and control of HFMD and EV71 infection:
- CHP, SWD and EDB will send letters again to childcare centres and schools detailing the measures they should take to prevent HFMD and EV71 infections.
- The departments concerned will launch intensified community education campaigns against the diseases via television, radio, at public venues and other channels.
- CHP will issue letters to doctors again updating them the latest situation and solicit their assistance to provide health advice to parents.
CHP will continue to closely monitor the local situation and overseas areas.
EV71 infection is a statutorily notifiable disease in Hong Kong. To facilitate early implementation of control measures, doctors are reminded to report clinical cases who present with severe complications possibly due to EV71 to CHP.
To prevent HFMD and EV71 infection, members of the public are urged to stay vigilant and strictly observe personal and environmental hygiene. While in Hong Kong or when travelling, members of the public are advised to:-
- Wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet and changing diapers;
- Cover nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing, and properly dispose of nasal and mouth discharge;
- Never share personal items such as towels and eating utensils;
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, furniture and toilets regularly with diluted bleach (one portion of household bleach adding 99 portions of water);
- Maintaining good indoor ventilation;
- Disinfect toys/places which are contaminated by secretions or excreta with diluted household bleach (one portion of household bleach adding 49 portions of water);
- Parents should pay attention to the health of their children and seek medical advice if their children develop symptoms of HFMD, especially if the following occur:
- Children suffering from HFMD should stay at home and avoid contacting other children until they are completely recovered. Parents should maintain close communication with schools to let them know the latest situation of the sick children. They should also take necessary precaution while taking care of sick children.
More information on the preventive measures against EV 71 infection and HFMD can be found at the website of CHP (
http://www.chp.gov.hk
).