The first meeting of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Expert Group on Prevention and Treatment of Atypical Pneumonia commenced Thursday, with all sides pledging to strengthen the reporting of future communicable diseases besides SARS.
Deputy Director of Health of the Hong Kong government Leung Pak Yin told reporters in a media briefing before the meeting that the communicable diseases to guard against through a stronger reporting system include dengue fever and influenza.
"The Hong Kong government will exchange analyzed clinical data with the participants and has arranged for them to tour Princess Margaret Hospital, Eastern Hospital and laboratories. In the days to come, the three places in the region will continue to work together," Leung said.
Director of Hong Kong's Hospital Authority Ko Wing Man said that since an initial exchange on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province in the middle of last month, progress has already been made on both the therapeutic and control aspects of fighting the disease.
"For Hong Kong, we've adopted different forms of therapy. After we have invited the two experts from the Guangdong Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital to study the combined Chinese and western medicine treatment for SARS in Hong Kong, they've visited nine local hospitals, diagnosed 100 patients and treated 45 patients with Chinese medicine," he said.
Ko added that various anti-viral drugs and serum treatment are being clinically tried at various hospitals here.
Deputy Director-General of the Department of Health of Guangdong Province He Zhaofu told reporters he was glad to take part in the meeting here, and that he felt excited that the World Health Organization has canceled the travel advisories against Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.
He said he would present a summary of the treatment and prevention of SARS to the participants at the two-day meeting, while looking forward to hear the presentations on Hong Kong's successful and effective practices observed during the anti-SARS process.
"I look forward to listening to the details of how Hong Kong has successfully fought the disease," he said.
Director of the Department of Health of Macao Koi Kuok Leng also expressed his sincere thanks the Hong Kong government and the Guangdong Provincial government for sharing medical research materials with Macao.
(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2003)
