The Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday convened a meeting with representatives from private medical institutions and those from major health and medical associations in the city, pledging to strengthen its prevention of chikungunya fever and dengue fever and urging the city’s healthcare sector to fully support and comply with the bureau’s ongoing prevention efforts, according to an SSM statement last night.
Both chikungunya fever and dengue fever are mosquito-borne diseases.
The statement pointed out that as of yesterday, Macau had so far recorded two imported cases of chikungunya fever and one locally transmitted dengue fever, all of which were detected earlier this month, while neighbouring regions are being affected by chikungunya fever outbreaks because of which Macau is now facing a higher level of threat of the disease.
Consequently, the statement said, the bureau convened the meeting yesterday with the aim of enabling those working in the city’s healthcare sector to gain a better understanding of the bureau’s ongoing measures to prevent the two diseases, including its mosquito control measures implemented in collaboration with other public entities.
Chairing yesterday’s meeting, according to the statement, SSM Director Alvis Lo Iek Long underlined that his bureau has drawn up its contingency plan for preparing for the possible occurrence of local transmissions of the two diseases, adding that his bureau will roll out more prevention and control measures.
Dr Lo noted that controlling sources of infection, cutting transmission channels, and strengthening the protection of those susceptible to infection are three key approaches in the effective prevention of communicable diseases, urging the city’s frontline healthcare workers to enhance their ability to identify suspected cases of chikungunya fever and dengue fever so that they can detect and control infection sources as early as possible.
The health chief pledged that his bureau will continue to strengthen the testing capacity of its laboratories, adding that his bureau will also, in collaboration with other public entities, expand the areas covered by chemical mosquito control operations and increase their frequency while continuing to strengthen their joint public awareness campaigns with the aim of cutting transmission channels as much as possible.
The Health Bureau has pointed out that Macau recorded two and three imported cases of chikungunya fever in 2013 and 2019 respectively, all of them from Southeast Asian countries, while none of the five cases were serious or fatal.
Foshan records over 3,600 chikungunya fever cases as of Wednesday
Foshan City in neighbouring Guangdong Province has been hit by an outbreak of chikungunya fever since earlier this month. According to the latest data from Foshan’s health authorities released yesterday, the prefecture-level city had recorded 3,642 confirmed cases of chikungunya fever as of Wednesday, comprising 3,317 in Shunde District, 178 in Chancheng District, 141 in Nanhai District, and six in Sanshui District.
Foshan’s health authorities also said yesterday that all of the chikungunya fever patients in the city as of Wednesday merely had mild symptoms.
Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long speaks during yesterday’s meeting briefing representatives from the city’s healthcare sector about the prevention of chikungunya fever and dengue fever. – Photos: SSM
Representatives from private medical institutions and those from health and medical associations attend yesterday’s meeting held on the Health Bureau’s premises adjacent to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre.
