HK fortifies SARS prevention and control
( 2003-10-27 17:09) (people.com)
Hong Kong has beefed up
efforts to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a government press
release quoted a senior Hong Kong official as saying Saturday.
Speaking at the Second Joint Meeting of Senior Health Officialsof the
Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao held in Macao Saturday, Hong Kong's Secretary for
Health, Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong pointed out that though SARS has been
brought under control, the possibility of its return can not be ruled out.
"From the experiences we have gained, we know we need to strengthen our
prevention and control work to better prepare ourselves against SARS and other
infectious diseases," he said.
He said a checklist of measures to fight SARS was issued last month for
public consultation, which reflects the three-pronged approach adopted by the
government.
Firstly, comprehensive and cross-community disease preventive measures have
been put in place in Hong Kong to guard against the resurgence of the disease,
Yeoh said.
He added that they have maintained a close and effective disease surveillance
system and prepared contingency plans to dealwith the possible resurgence of
SARS at all levels to combat the disease swiftly and responsively.
Moreover, they would also take positive steps to implement, as quickly as
possible, the 46 recommendations put forward by a SARS committee which embody a
comprehensive range of measures to enhance the preparedness of Hong Kong against
SARS.
In the prevention front, the government has taken enhanced action in
monitoring medical regulatory requirements and food hygiene and regulatory
control, he said.
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