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| Credit HK CHP |
# 11,132
With more than 7 million residents crammed into just 426 sq miles, Hong Kong's
Centre for Health Protection takes infectious disease threats very seriously. As it has previously
with both avian flu and MERS-CoV, the CHP has prepared and implemented a plan to deal with the Zika virus.
The 50-page PDF Response Plan may be downloaded from the CHP site, but at its core is a three level system representing the relative risk the Zika virus poses to Hong Kong's residents.
The Plan's three response levels –
Alert, Serious and
Emergency - reflect the current CHP risk assessment of the Zika virus. From the response plan, they are defined as:
Alert Response Level
10. Alert Response Level corresponds to a situation where the immediate health impact caused by the Zika virus infection on local population is low. Generally, it depicts a situation when there are human cases occurring in countries where there are possibilities of significant travel and trade with Hong Kong, while WHO is maintaining global alert for this disease; OR where there are imported case(s).
Serious Response Level
12. Serious Response Level corresponds to a situation where the risk of health impact caused by the Zika virus infection on local population in Hong Kong is moderate. Generally, it depicts a situation when there is a sporadic local case, or a single cluster of local cases in Hong Kong.
Emergency Response Level
14. Emergency Response Level corresponds to a situation where the risk of health impact caused by the Zika virus infection on local population in Hong Kong is high and imminent. Generally it depicts a situation where there is more than one cluster of local cases or widespread local transmission.
Today, in addition to unveiling the new plan, the CHP activated the
Alert Response Level.
| 11 March 2016 |
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Zika Virus Infection
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The Alert Response Level under the Government's Preparedness and Response Plan for the Zika Virus Infection is activated
Zika virus infection is a mosquito-borne disease caused by Zika
virus. The most common symptoms of Zika virus infection are fever and
skin rash, usually accompanied by conjunctivitis, muscle or joint pain
and general malaise.
The current major concern is the possible association with adverse
pregnancy outcome (microcephaly) and neurological and autoimmune
complications such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Zika virus is mainly transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected Aedes
mosquito. It can potentially be transmitted through blood transfusion.
Zika virus has also been found in human semen and transmission by sexual
contact has been confirmed.
Pregnant women and women preparing for pregnancy should consider deferring their trip to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission. Travellers should seek medical advice before the trip and avoid mosquito bites
during the trip. Travellers who return from affected areas and feel
unwell e.g. having fever, should seek medical advice as soon as
possible, and provide travel details to doctors.
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For details on prevention of Zika virus infection, including
those for pregnant women and women preparing for pregnancy and
travellers returning from affected areas, please refer to the factsheet
of Zika Virus Infection. |
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