HONG KONG, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has adopted multiple measures to bring down the risk of a pneumonia outbreak in Hong Kong after a cluster of viral pneumonia cases with unknown cause detected in Wuhan, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday.
Although no serious pneumonia cases related to those in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, have been found in Hong Kong, the government has responded immediately, Lam said at a press briefing.
The authorities has asked doctors to report about suspected cases, and the figure has been published everyday. Health surveillance measures were enhanced at all boundary control points, such as body temperature checks of passengers arriving from Wuhan, no matter by train or plane, Lam said.
The government has also activated the serious response level for novel infectious disease, the medium level in its three-tier response system, Lam said.
By Monday noon, Hong Kong hospitals had admitted 21 patients who have been to Wuhan in the past 14 days, none of which were related to the viral pneumonia cases in the central Chinese city. Seven have been discharged from hospital and the rest were in stable condition.
The government said it will on Wednesday publish the amendment to the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599), which includes severe respiratory disease associated with a novel infectious agent as a statutorily notifiable infectious disease.
