Our Ref. : BP 6/25 7 April 2003
Dear Colleagues,
Combating Atypical Pneumonia
Further to my letter of 31 March 2003, I am writing to update you on our latest progress in combating Atypical Pneumonia (AP).
While the situation remains a matter of concern, there have been some positive developments. First, about 120 AP patients have been cured and discharged, including many of our dedicated medical workers from the Prince of Wales Hospital. Second, all sectors of the community are joining hands to combat this disease. Third, close contacts of AP patients have been identified for isolation or observation.
Our gratitude must go to the medical staff working day and night risking their health attending to AP patients in hospitals. They deserve our deepest appreciation and fullest support. But we should also take note of the dedication of those civil servants who perform various support duties either at the forefront or behind the scene. For example, colleagues of the Department of Health have been working hard at the medical and publicity front. When implementing the isolation order for Block E of Amoy Gardens last week, our police officers, together with staff from the Home Affairs Department, Social Welfare Department, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Auxiliary Medical Service and Civil Aid Service demonstrated their professionalism and commitment and completed the operation under a very tight timetable.
The praise should extend to many other unsung heroes in the civil service, including staff in the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau, Immigration Department, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Government Supplies Department, Information Services Department, Government Land Transport Agency and Printing Department who have been providing back-up support to our frontline colleagues relentlessly. Staff in other departments who have been doing their part to help prevent the spread of AP, and those civil service unions which have appealed to their members to support the Government in combating AP also deserve our appreciation.
As indicated in my last letter, I have been visiting departments which have officers infected with AP. The colleagues there remain hard at work. Facemasks and gloves have been provided to those who wish to wear them. Office cleansing work has been stepped up. There has been no case of secondary infection of any civil servants working in the vicinity of the officers who had contracted AP. So while we should stay alert and take all necessary precautions, government offices remain a safe working environment.
To provide updated information on AP, including its symptoms, preventive measures and relevant notices issued by the Civil Service Bureau, we have recently introduced a "Prevention of AP Corner" on our website (http://www.csb.gov.hk). I hope you will find the information there useful.
Please keep up the good work. We shall overcome AP soon.
Yours sincerely,
(Joseph W P Wong)
Secretary for the Civil Service
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