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Press Release

DH updates Ebola-affected areas

26 November 2014

The Department of Health (DH) today (November 26) updated the list of affected countries/areas in the local reporting criteria for Ebola virus disease in response to the latest situation reported by Mali.

According to World Health Organization, two additional Ebola cases have been confirmed in Mali involving two close contacts of previously confirmed cases. This indicates that there is further transmission of the disease in the country.

"In view of this, we will include Mali in the list of affected countries/areas with active transmission," a spokesman for the DH said.

The DH again urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel to Guinea, Liberia, Mali and Sierra Leone. Updated travel advice has been uploaded to the front page of the Centre for Health Protection ( www.chp.gov.hk/en ), the DH's Travel Health Service ( www.travelhealth.gov.hk/eindex.html ) and the Outbound Travel Alert of the Security Bureau ( www.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota ).

"We will issue letters to doctors and private hospitals to inform them of the updated affected countries/areas," the spokesman added.

There is currently no vaccine available for EVD. The public should avoid unnecessary travel to affected areas, and observe good personal and environmental hygiene during travel:

  • Always use liquid soap or alcohol-based hand rub to clean hands before touching the eyes, nose and mouth;
  • Avoid close contact with fever or sick patients, and contact with blood or other bodily fluids of patients, including items which may have come into contact with patients' blood or other bodily fluids;
  • Avoid contact with animals; and
  • Cook food thoroughly before consumption.

The public should also pay attention to the hygiene practices below:

  • Exercise proper wound management. Clean broken skin immediately and cover it properly with waterproof adhesive dressings. Wash hands before and after touching wounds;
  • Put on appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks when handling respiratory secretions, vomitus or excreta;
  • Use absorbent disposable towels to wipe away obvious contaminants as soon as possible, then disinfect the surface and neighbouring areas with an appropriate disinfectant such as diluted household bleach (by adding one part of household bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite to 49 parts of water), leave for 15 to 30 minutes, rinse with water and then keep the areas dry; and
  • Put contaminants into a plastic bag, seal it up and discard it into a garbage bin with a lid. Perform hand hygiene immediately and thoroughly after taking off gloves.
26 Nov 2014