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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (June 2) urged the public to stay alert to the risk of Japanese encephalitis and to take proper anti-mosquito measures.
The appeal was made following confirmation by laboratory test results of the Japanese encephalitis virus in a batch of specimens of adult Culex tritaeniorhynchus.
The specimens were collected earlier during vector surveys conducted by the department in Yuen Long following a report of a suspected Japanese encephalitis case.
"Positive results from time to time are not unexpected as Japanese encephalitis is endemic among local pigs. Mosquitoes may acquire the virus from birds and pigs, which are known hosts of the virus," an FEHD spokesman said.
Various government departments have strengthened inspections and mounted special operations in the vicinity, including larviciding and fogging, to clean up the environment and remove mosquito breeding places.
"The anti-mosquito actions will continue," the spokesman said.
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The public is also reminded to take the following preventive measures:
* Ensure continuous water flow in water-logged fields by installing devices such as water pumps/water gates and removing stagnant water regularly;
* Inspect water-cultivation areas and animal farms frequently;
* Eliminate stagnant water in surface channels; and
* Remove water in containers for animals after feeding and cover the containers properly after use.
People visiting areas with mosquito-transmitted diseases should follow these precautionary measures:
* Wear light-coloured long-sleeved clothes and trousers;
* Use insect repellents over exposed parts of the body when outdoors; and
* Use mosquito screens or nets when the room is not air-conditioned.
Health advice on Japanese encephalitis is available from the website (http://www.chp.gov.hk) of the CHP and its hotline at 2833 0111.
Ends/Friday, June 2, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:32
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