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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1975
PUBLIC URGED TO OBSERVE PERSONAL HYGIENE TO PREVENT SPREAD OF +RED EYE+ DISEASE
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THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS AGAIN REMINDED THE PUBLIC TO TAKE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AGAINST THE SPREAD OF +RED EYE+ DISEASE, WHICH IS USUALLY PREVALENT DURING THE SWIMMING SEASON.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY THE DISEASE, CLINICALLY KNOWN AS ACUTE KERATO-CONJUNCTIVITIES, COULD DE PREVENTED BY ODSERVING THE RULES OF PERSONAL HYGIENE.
'HE SAID THE WARM SEASON IS STILL NOT YET OVER AND THE PUBLIC AUST JE ON THE ALERT AT ALL TIMES IN THE PREVENTION OF THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
STATISTICS FROM TWO GOVERNMENT EYE CLINICS SHOWED THAT THE NUMBER OF +RED EYE+ CASES IN AUGUST AVERAGED 25 PER WEEK IN THE VIOLET PEEL CLINIC, COMPARED WITH AN AVERAGE OF 50 AT THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR. HOWEVER, AT YAUMATI EYE CLINIC, THE WEEKLY AVERAGE WAS 120 AS COMPARED WITH ABOUT 80 LAST AUGUST.
THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT SINCE RED EYE IS NOT A NOTIFIABLE DISEASE, THERE IS NO RECORD OF THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF CASES IN HONG KONG, AND THE FIGURES ODTAINED FROM THE TWO GOVERNMENT EYE CLINICS ONLY SERVED TO INDICATE THE TREND OF THE DISEASE.
AN EPIDEMIC OF +RED EYE+ STRUCK HONG KONG IN 1971 WHEN MORE THAN 5,000 CASES WERE TREATED IN AUGUST ALONE.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE COMMONEST MEANS OF SPREADING THE DISEASE IS THROUGH CONTACT, FOR EXAMPLE IN PUBLIC PLACES SUCH AS SWIMMING POOLS AND AMONG FAMILIES!
HE ADVISED THAT PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM THE DISEASE SHOULD. THEREFORE, STAY AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC SHIMMING POOLS SO AS NOT TO SPREAD THE DISEASE.
IF A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY HAS CONTRACTED THE DISEASE, THE OTHER MEMDERS SHOULD TAKE CARE NOT TO SHARE THE SAME TOVEL OR HANDKERCHIEF AND SHOULD PAY GREATER ATTENTION TO PERSONAL HYGIENE,
THE DISEASE IS OF ACUTE ONSET, CAUSING REDNESS AND SORENESS ON THE EYES, VARYING FROM SLIGHT IRRITATION TO SEVERE PAIN.
TREATMENT CONSISTS OF APPLICATION OF EYE DROPS OR OINTMENT ON THE EYES AS ADVISED BY A DOCTOR.
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