Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

To mark the National Fish Releasing Day, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) today (June 6) co-organised restocking activities with various local organisations and released juvenile fish in different waters of Hong Kong, with an aim to restore and enhance aquatic resources as well as to deepen public understanding about restocking.

     Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, said that The Government has been actively conducting restocking exercises to enhance marine resources as outlined in the Blueprint for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Fisheries. The theme of the restocking activity this year, “Restocking for an Everlasting Ocean”, stresses the value of restocking, which is to allow marine resources to thrive and to sustain, and to leave a living and harmonious marine environment for our future generations. The AFCD will organise a number of workshops about restocking for the public and the education sector, to embed the concept of science-based restocking deeply in the community and schools.

Following the launch ceremony, representatives from the AFCD, the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, Ocean Park Hong Kong and the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong released some 62 000 juvenile fish of native species, including black seabream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii), yellowfin seabream (Acanthopagrus latus), red seabream (Pagrus major), and two newly added species this year: short barbeled velvetchin (Hapalogenys nigripinnis) and giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus), in Yan Chau Tong Marine Park and South Lantau Marine Park. The diverse habitats in these two marine parks, such as artificial reefs, coral communities, natural rocky reefs and boulders, provide suitable habitats for the juvenile fish. Existing fisheries management measures also offer effective protection for their growth. The AFCD and its collaborating organisations will conduct regular underwater surveys to record the status of released fish and monitor the status of local fisheries resources as a whole.

The restocking exercise, supported by the Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, the Marine Development Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, the Hong Kong Fishermen Consortium, the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, Ocean Park Hong Kong and the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Hong Kong, brought together about 150 students, representatives from religious groups, fishermen’s associations and green groups, and volunteers from Shenzhen, etc. The AFCD also released a restocking leaflet today to introduce information about the science-based restocking to the public and provide guidelines for organisations interested in conducting restocking. Later this year, the AFCD will jointly organise more workshops with the Urban Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality and the Marine Development Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality to further enhance understanding about science-based restocking among the public and the education sector. 

The AFCD reminds the public to think carefully before participating in animal release activities to avoid affecting the ecological environment or causing unnecessary suffering to animals. Members of the public are encouraged to participate in science-based restocking or other charitable activities as alternatives to improper animal releases.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Microbiology Division of the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB), which is under the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH), has been designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Collaborating Centre on Quality and Capacity Building for the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS). This is the second WHO Collaborating Centre in China to combat influenza. The WHO representative formally presented the designation letter to the DH in Hong Kong today (June 8), and proceeded with two working group meetings attended by international experts for surveillance, preparedness, prevention and control of influenza, to be held over five days from today (June 8) until this Friday (June 12). The DH is hosting both meetings, with the Head of the PHLSB chairing the first meeting on molecular technologies on detecting existing and emerging influenza and other respiratory viruses of public health significance, testifying to the international role of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in the area of global respiratory threat management.
 
WHO GISRS Collaborating Centre
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The GISRS is a global platform established by the WHO for the surveillance, prevention and control of influenza. It co-ordinates the public health responses against influenza and other infections caused by respiratory pathogens. As a WHO GISRS Collaborating Centre, the Microbiology Division of the PHLSB is tasked with supporting global influenza laboratories in enhancing their quality and capacity.

 The Microbiology Division of the PHLSB provides laboratory diagnostic services for disease surveillance and control, health promotion and disease prevention. It has maintained close collaboration with the WHO for many years and was designated by the WHO as a National Influenza Centre and an Influenza A H5 Reference Laboratory in 1963 and 2004 respectively. Since 2007, the Microbiology Division has also supported the WHO in organising an External Quality Assessment Programme for GISRS to ascertain the standards of laboratories worldwide and to ensure adequate testing capacity to support global effort in influenza prevention and control.
 
The Head of Global Respiratory Threats of the WHO, Dr Zhang Wenqing, was present at the Public Health Laboratory Centre today to officiate at the ceremony to present the letter of designation to the DH.

Dr Zhang said that the DH has been an important partner of the GISRS for decades, in particular on supporting influenza laboratories worldwide to enhance their quality and capacity for nearly 20 years, playing a crucial role in the WHO’s mission on influenza surveillance, preparedness, prevention and control efforts. The DH’s professional expertise, rigorous quality management system and broad experience contribute to the global influenza surveillance system, consolidating international efforts to combat influenza more effectively.

The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, expressed gratitude for the WHO’s confidence and trust. He emphasised that the DH will continue to uphold its professionalism, safeguarding public health in Hong Kong and globally by maintaining high-quality standards.

Dr Lam said, “Staff of the PHLSB under the CHP have consistently fulfilled their role with dedication, demonstrating professionalism, high efficiency, and a strong sense of responsibility. They have steadfastly safeguarded the health of all Hong Kong citizens, particularly during major public health events, when they provided testing services selflessly and against all odds. Their efforts have provided necessary scientific information, underpinning epidemiological investigations and outbreak control, thereby preventing the community spread of infections. In addition to safeguarding the health of Hong Kong citizens, the PHLSB has also been actively participating in the WHO’s laboratory networks for other communicable diseases. The designation by the WHO as Collaborating Centre on Quality and Capacity Building for the GISRS fully demonstrates that Hong Kong’s public health laboratory is on par with international standards. Going forward, the DH will continue to collaborate with the WHO and its member states to actively participate in national health governance, and to leverage Hong Kong’s role as a ‘super connector’ under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, in order to serve the broader interests of national health and medical development and to act as a vital link between the Chinese Mainland and international health partners.”
 
WHO influenza expert working group meetings
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Starting from today, the WHO is convening two successive international expert working group meetings on influenza in Hong Kong, China, bringing together influenza experts from around the world to discuss laboratory testing, and prevention and control of influenza. The meetings are conducted in hybrid format with in-person and virtual participation. The two working group meetings are the 16th Meeting of the WHO Working Group for the Molecular Detection and Subtyping of Influenza Viruses and the use of Next Generation Sequencing in the GISRS, which focuses on the application and optimisation of molecular techniques for detection and sequencing of influenza viruses; and the 15th Meeting of the WHO Working Group on Surveillance of Antiviral Susceptibility of Influenza Viruses for the GISRS, which will address core issues such as antiviral treatment for influenza and surveillance of antiviral susceptibility.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident happened in Tsim Sha Tsui today (June 6), in which a woman died.    

     Police received a report at 2.12am today that a taxi driven by a 69-year-old man was travelling along Nathan Road from Tsim Sha Tsui towards Mong Kok. When approaching Granville Road, it reportedly knocked down a 34-year-old woman who was crossing the road.

     Sustaining serious injuries, the woman was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 2.41am.

     The taxi driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and is being detained for enquiries.

     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team 1 of Traffic, Kowloon West is under way.

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers. The contact number is 3661 9023.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region