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Energy efficiency meeting held

Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today attended the 60th Meeting of the Expert Group on Energy Efficiency & Conservation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) held in Hong Kong.   In his welcome speech, Mr Tse said that Hong Kong was honoured to host the meeting again after 2019 and 2020 to provide a platform for direct dialogue among APEC partners.   “It is encouraging to see over 50 experts and delegates from 11 APEC member economies as well as four international organisations gather again to share insights and exchange experiences with their counterparts after the stabilisation of the epidemic.”   As the Asia-Pacific region develops, its energy demand and consumption would continue to increase, which may lead to an increase in emissions of greenhouse gases, he pointed out.   To achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government published Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 in 2021, outlining the st
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Melioidosis statutorily notifiable

The Government today published a notice in the Gazette to include melioidosis as a statutorily notifiable infectious disease under Schedule 1 of the Prevention & Control of Disease Ordinance.   As such, medical practitioners are required to notify the Department of Health if they have reason to suspect that a melioidosis case exists, the Government explained.   While person-to-person transmission and animal-to-human transmission are rare, melioidosis bacteria can survive in the local environment, the department’s Centre for Health Protection noted.   Moreover, melioidosis is endemic in Hong Kong, and the presence of the bacteria in the environment may cause potential outbreaks. In regards to this, and the recent increase in the number of cases, especially in Sham Shui Po, the Government proposed to list melioidosis a statutorily notifiable infectious disease to enhance surveillance and prevention.   The move would facilitate early intervention in case of a suspected outbreak in the community, and provide more accurate information about melioidosis’ clinical characteristics and distribution in the city, the department stressed.   The notice will be tabled at the Legislative Council on November 16.
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