May 22, 2001
The Department of Health (DH) will operate from tomorrow (May 23) a special telephone hotline (2684 5138) to provide health advice to poultry workers who might be concerned about the avian flu virus isolated in markets recently.
A spokesman for DH today (May 22) reiterated that there was no evidence to suggest that the isolated avian flu virus could affect human health. The virus was not the same as the H5N1 chicken virus that we had in Hong Kong in 1997.
"Nonetheless, poultry workers can take full advantage of DH's special hotline (2684 5138) manned by health care professionals from 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm Mondays to Fridays and from 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays."
"The special hotline will be in operation until further notice. Health advice will be provided free of charge," the spokesman said.
DH had opened four General Out-patient Clinic located on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon and the New Territories to poultry workers for five evenings ending tonight (May 22). Up to last (May 21) night, only two poultry workers had visited two of the clinics. One worker had sought health advice and the other worker had sought general advice.
In addition, members of the public can call DH's Central Health Education Unit Hotline (2833 0111) to seek health advice on the prevention of Influenza. The public can also seek information via fax from the 24-hour hotline services.