The Executive Council has empowered the Director of Health (DH) to detain outgoing travelers suspected of contracting bird flu at the border of Hong Kong's entry and exit points from Friday, the government announced yesterday.
The Chief Executive-in-Council reactivated all the border control measures used during the 2003 SARS outbreak to cover H5, H7 and H9 flu virus under the Prevention of the Spread of Infectious Diseases Regulations.
This will help DH to implement measures to check the cross-border spread of the disease, a government spokesman said. Health officials will be empowered to prevent people suspected of suffering from bird flu from leaving Hong Kong.
Certain public officials and authorized persons, too, will have the power to stop and detain a person seeking to leave Hong Kong in contravention of the order. Authorized officials could also check the temperature of a person entering or leaving Hong Kong and, if needed, ask him to undergo a medical check-up.
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow told legislators that only in the worst-case scenario and WHO recommendations would Hong Kong consider closing the borders to prevent the spread of bird flu.
Chow said the government would go on high alert the moment a human-to-human bird flu transmission is reported, and would ask visitors to declare their health condition and make them undergo medical tests at the border.
Replying to a question of the Liberal Party's Tommy Cheung, Chow said the existing measures, including temperature checks, were adequate for the time being because the risk of a bird flu outbreak in Hong Kong was not serious. The government has not yet prepared a list of food items that would be banned from being imported when the border is closed.
Responding to a question on the supply of antiviral drug Tamiflu raised by Albert Cheng, Chow said he hoped its manufacturer Roche would increase its production because of mounting international pressure.
Chow said Hong Kong would cooperate with the mainland to urge Roche to raise the drug's global production.
Hong Kong aims to stock 20 million doses of Tamiflu and has 3.5 million at present, he said. Another 4 million will be delivered early next year.
"We have already liaised with Roche to increase the global production of Tamiflu to ensure that there's enough supply in Hong Kong and other countries and regions in case of an outbreak," Chow said. "The World Health Organization, too, urged Roche early this month to increase its production, which the manufacturer has agreed to."
Patients, health care workers, staff engaged in live poultry culling operations and those who have come into contact with the virus would be given priority for the use of Tamiflu, he said.
Chow downplayed legislators' worries over Hong Kong's "inadequate" drug stocks to cope with a pandemic, saying medication was only one of the several measures to tackle an outbreak.
"Tamiflu is not a miraculous drug," he stressed.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang and Chow will participate in a communication drill today to review the efficiency in cooperation among the essential departments during a real emergency. The drill, organized by the Center for Health Protection, involves more than 220 people from over 30 bureaus, departments and organizations.
(China Daily HK Edition November 24, 2005)
