ENG-1994 — Page 223

HEALTH

Special surveillance is maintained to prevent outbreaks of malaria in the detention centres for Vietnamese migrants. Technical support is provided by the Pest Control Advisory Section of the Department of Health.

Environmental Health Education

The Health Education Unit of the Department of Health's Hygiene Division promotes environmental health and food hygiene through education on a territory-wide basis. Working with the two municipal councils, the unit conducted a number of health educa- tional activities during the year, including the 1994 Public Health Education Exhibition, and the Food Hygiene Campaign organised for members of the food trades and school teachers. Publicity campaigns directed at the prevention of nuisances caused by mosquitoes and other insects in the home, as well as by dripping air-conditioners, were also staged during the year.

Health messages are disseminated through telephone hotlines and the mass media. Health education materials are also available to the general public at the unit's resource centre to publicise the importance of personal, food and environmental hygiene.

Apart from territory-wide health education, the Urban Council has attached great importance to public health education. An innovative Ambassador of Hygiene Scheme, targeted at school children, was launched to arouse awareness of the proper use of hygiene services and facilities. Three episodes on public health were televised during prime time in August. The annual Restaurant Hygiene Competition and the Health Education Fair were also in the spotlight. A permanent health education exhibition and resource centre at Kowloon Park, which will display health messages and provide consultancy services on health education, is scheduled to open in 1996.

Food Hygiene

The Hygiene Division of the Department of Health controls both imported and locally- produced food for sale. Supported by laboratory resources and assisted by a scientific advisory arm, the division ensures that consumers are able to buy good, wholesome food which is unadulterated, uncontaminated, properly described and of nutritious quality.

Food samples are taken regularly for chemical analyses, bacteriological examinations and toxicity tests to ascertain their fitness for human consumption. For the purpose of sampling for laboratory testing, food items are prioritised according to the nature of the food and the risks that they may pose to consumers. Complementing regular laboratory analyses, field tests for pesticide residues are performed on imported vegetables at the points of entry into Hong Kong.

In 1994, there were 251 reported cases of food poisoning, involving 971 persons. With the increasing number of food establishments and varieties of food items, law enforcement is assuming greater importance. There is also a growing demand for services for health certification of foods for export and re-export. The Hygiene Division is therefore conducting a review of food legislation to ensure that laws are consistent with international standards, guidelines and recommendations based on scientific evidence. This will ensure a high standard of public health protection and facilitate international trade in foods.

Hong Kong maintains close ties with the World Health Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and other international authoritative bodies

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