FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1992
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EXPANSION OF HEPATITIS B VACCINATION PROGRAMME
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BE
THE EXISTING HEPATITIS B VACCINATION PROGRAMME WILL EXPANDED THIS SUMMER TO COVER CHILDREN BETWEEN THREE AND SIX YEARS OF AGE.
ANNOUNCING THIS AT A MEET-THE-MEDIA SESSION TODAY (FRIDAY), THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH, DR S.H. LEE, SAID FROM JULY, HEPATITIS B VACCINE WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO THIS AGE GROUP FREE OF CHARGE AT ALL MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH CENTRES.
THE EXPANDED PROGRAMME, HE SAID, WOULD BENEFIT ABOUT 150,000
CHILDREN.
DOSES.
TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM PROTECTION, EACH CHILD HAS TO RECEIVE THREE
DR LEE SAID THE EXISTING HEPATITIS B VACCINATION PROGRAMME FOR ALL NEWBORN BABIES BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 15, 1988.
THE EXPANDED PROGRAMME TO BE INTRODUCED COVERS THOSE CHILDREN BORN BETWEEN 1986 AND 1988.
THE REASON FOR TARGETTING AT THIS GROUP OF CHILDREN,
HE SAID, WAS BECAUSE THEY HAD A HIGHER RATE OF EXPOSURE TO HEPATITIS B VIRUS INFECTION AND STOOD A HIGHER CHANCE OF DEVELOPING CHRONIC LIVER PROBLEMS AFTER INFECTION.
DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER THIS YEAR.
DR LEE ALSO OUTLINED THE IMPLEMENTATION THIS YEAR OF SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON PRIMARY HEALTH CARE (PHC), INCLUDING THE INTRODUCTION OF A PILOT DISTRICT HEALTH SYSTEM (DHS) IN KWUN TONG AND THE ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN.
ON DHS, HE SAID, PREPARATION WORK HAD VIRTUALLY BEEN COMPLETED.
THE DISTRICT HEALTH COMMITTEE, WHICH IS BEING FORMED, WILL HOLD ITS FIRST MEETING AT THE END OF NEXT MONTH.
DR
REFERRING TO ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION FOR PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN, LEE SAID, THE DEPARTMENT WAS DEVISING A DETAILED PROGRAMME WHICH WOULD BE LAUNCHED TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR.
DURING THE YEAR, TWO MORE CLINICS AT TSING YI AND AP LEI CHAU WILL COME INTO OPERATION, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT GENERAL OUT-PATIENT CLINICS TO 56.
LOOKING BACK, DR LEE DESCRIBED THE GENERAL LEVEL OF HEALTH IN HONG KONG LAST YEAR AS GOOD.
/"THE INFANT
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