March 10, 2000
The following is issued in response to press enquiries concerning a Chinese newspaper report saying that more than 20 Rubella cases were reported among officers of the Immigration Department recently:
Precautionary measures taken by the Department of Health (DH) and the Immigration Department (ID) have brought under control Rubella cases reported among ID officers recently and there is no cause for undue alarm.
Indeed, no new cases have been reported in the ID since March 2 this (2000) year.
A spokesman for DH today (March 10) said: "Rubella is generally a mild disease and rarely associated with complications for the patients."
"However, if a pregnant mother acquires the infection, it may result in spontaneous abortion or delivery of an infant with congenital rubella syndrome. The risk is greatest in the first trimester while defects are rare when the maternal infection occurs after the 20th week of gestation."
"Rubella is usually transmitted by close contacts with patients in a poorly-ventilated environment."
"It is highly unlikely that the disease can be transmitted through short contacts over the ID counters of the control points."
The spokesman added that the local female population would have adequate protection against Rubella as a result of successful Government vaccination programme against the disease for school girls and women of child-bearing age introduced in the 1970's.
"Pregnant women should consult their doctors if they have come in contact with persons with Rubella," the spokesman said.
The DH had screened and given health education to more than 1 920 ID staff who attended ID's training school and manned control points in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Of these, over 1 250 staff who had no history of Rubella and had not received such vaccination, were vaccinated.
Between January 11 and March 2 this (2000) year, 25 ID officers were reported to have Rubella. Investigations showed that the majority of them had contacted the infection during a two-month training course in ID's training school. The ID had stopped new courses in the training school until further notice as part of the precautionary measures.
All 25 officers had suffered mild symptoms and none was hospitalised. The DH and ID would continue to monitor the situation closely.