CHP warns of global spread of measles

Telltale signs of measles are rashes all over the body (CDC photo)

The Centre for Health Protection has issued a warning against measles, after a 22-year-old local man who had visited Malaysia, was diagnosed with the viral disease.

But earlier, two other measles cases were detected in Hong Kong, and both patients, an 11-month-old baby boy and a three-year-old boy, had not been out of the city during the incubation period.

The CHP warned that there has a been surge in measles infection lately, with more than 300,000 cases being reported globally last year, up a massive 80 percent from 2022.

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Low vaccination rate in Asian and European countries after the pandemic appear to account for the upsurge in measles cases.

One of those grappling with a surge in cases is the United Kingdom, which lost the measles-free status it acquired in 2017 only two years later, just before the pandemic.

Last month, the UK Health Security Agency declared that the country is in the midst of a measles emergency after hundreds of children had contracted measles, especially in the West Midlands.

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Officials fear the outbreak could spread to other towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to boost the vaccination rate.

To keep the measles at bay, officials have sent letters to parents of unvaccinated children to urge them to go for the shots.

Currently, only about 85% of susceptible children under 16 years old are vaccinated, when a 95% coverage is needed to guard against the disease.

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HK’s CHP is also urging people who have not been infected or jabbed to get inoculated, whatever their age. It is also advising parents with kids under one who are not due for the first dose of the vaccine to  avoid travelling to places where there are outbreaks.

Measles is an acute, highly contagious viral disease capable of causing epidemics. It remains as one of the leading causes of death among children globally.

The measles virus infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include high fever, runny rose and a rash all over the body. 

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Immunisation has dramatically reduced the incidence of measles worldwide, but frequent outbreaks continue, especially in Europe and Asia.

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Illegal worker jailed 22 months

 

The defendant was arrested on the same day that 24 Vietnamese  illegal immigrants were deported

A Vietnamese man holding a recognizance form was jailed for 22 months and two months after trial at Shatin Court on Thursday, on a charge of illegal work.

The 45-year-old defendant was arrested during a raid by Immigration officers on a restaurant in Tai Po in November last year. 

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When his identity was checked, he produced a recognisance form which prohibits him from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that he was a non-refoulement claimant.

The Immigration Ordinance expressly prohibits any person who is the subject of a removal or deportation order, an overstayer or one who was refused permission to land, from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or setting up, or joining a business.

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Offenders face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment.

Meanwhile, 22 persons were arrested in the latest anti-illegal work operations conducted by Immigration officers for four consecutive days, from Feb 26 to 29.

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Those arrested comprised 15 suspected illegal workers aged 18 to 55; four suspected employers aged 29 to 52;  one suspected aider and abettor aged 34, and two overstayers aged 40.

Except for the female overstayers, those arrested were found during a series of raids on 45 locations across several districts, including a dance studio, industrial buildings, premises under renovation, restaurants and retail shops.

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Among the workers, three women were found to possess forged Hong Kong identity cards.

The overstayers were arrested during a raid on 25 premises in Wan Chai.

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2 Filipinas convicted of assault on another, put on probation

Two young Filipinas were given a one-year probation order by the Kwun Tong Court for common assault on a fellow Filipina.

H. R. Gacad, 19 years old, and L.P. del Rosario, 21, had pleaded guilty in a hearing last Feb. 7 but were set free after their bail of $1,000 each was extended..

Acting Principal Magistrate Winnie Lau placed the two under probation for 12 months after receiving probation officer and community service officers’ reports that were ordered after they were convicted as guide for their penalty..

During the probation period, Gacad and del Rosario need to maintain good behaviour, report to a probation officer regularly and ensure they do not reoffend.

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Youth CLIC, a community legal information website established by the Community Legal Information Centre of the Law and Technology Centre of The University of Hong Kong to provide Hong Kong youngsters with basic information about the law, crimes, and legal issues, defines probation as a form of punishment primarily aimed at the rehabilitation of offenders of minor crimes.

If a probationer re-offends while on probation, or breaches the conditions of the probation order, that person may be re-sentenced for the original offense, it said.

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Gacad and del Rosario both faced a charge of assaulting N. G. Respicio on February 6, 2023, inside the parking lot of Tsui Ping South Estate in Kwun Tong, causing her actual bodily harm.

Respicio, 17 years old at the time, went to the police and reported being attacked by several girls in the parking lot of the public estate. She reportedly suffered bruises on her face, waist and upper arm, and sought treatment at United Christian Hospital by herself.

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Following her complaint, the police arrested Gacad in her home in Yau Ma Tei and Del Rosario in Kowloon City. They were released on bail after an investigation.

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HK in another cold snap

 

Time to get bundled up again, with temperatures dropping to single digits over the weekend

Cold days are back in Hong Kong, with temperatures dropping in the urban areas to as low as nine degrees Friday night and early Saturday morning. It will be even colder in the New Territories.

On Sunday, the mercury will rise slightly to between 14 and 19 degrees, before gradually rising to above 20 degrees for the rest of the week.

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The Observatory issued the cold weather warning on Thursday afternoon, and reminded the public to keep warm and take care of the elderlies and those with chronic medical conditions.

The return of the cold weather in Hong Kong is said to be due to the influence of the northeast monsoon and a broad band of rain and clouds.

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The monsoon is forecast to be gradually replaced by a relatively humid southerly airstream on Monday and Tuesday, when the temperatures are expected to rise  to between 23 and 26 degrees at mid-day.

But another surge of the northeast monsoon is expected to affect Guangdong in the middle and latter parts of next week, bringing back cooler weather.

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Another DH jailed 8 months for money laundering

 

Another domestic helper was jailed for eight months Thursday after she pleaded guilty at Eastern Court to dealing with proceeds of a crime, because her bank account had been used for money laundering.

Nerivy Toledo, 35 years old, made the plea at Eastern Court after listening to the charge.

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Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui chose a 12-month starting point for Toledo’s sentence and gave her a four-month discount for her guilty plea            

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Toledo was charged with “dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offense.”

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Under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, this offense is punishable by a fine of $5,000,000 and imprisonment for 14 years on conviction upon indictment, or a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for 3 years on summary conviction.

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The case arose from deposits that amounted to $577,933 in her bank account and corresponding withdrawals between July 11, 2019 and July 29, 2019.

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Trial set for accused in indecent assault of girl, 10

The trial will be held at the District Court in Wanchai

Four Filipinos and one Bangladeshi accused of indecently assaulting and hurting a 10-year-old girl in Yuen Long were returned to jail yesterday to await trial at the District Court which will start on March 17 next year.

Jimwoel Macaraig, 53 years old; Julie Arcega, 32; Gina Villanueva, 51; Benjur Macaraig, 46; and MD Moazzim-hossain, 42, were arrested after the incident which allegedly happened inside a hut on Kung Om Road in Yuen Long on Jan. 3, 2023.

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Judge Pang Chung Ping adjourned Thursday's hearing to February 17 next year for pre-trial review.

The two-week trial will be held from March 17 to April 3 next year.

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The five, who were neighbors of the victim's family in Yuen Long, are accused of committing “an act of gross indecency with or toward X, a girl of the age of 10 years” in a hut in Yuen Long.

An “indecent act towards a child under 16 years” is punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years under the Crimes Ordinance.

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In the second charge, common assault, the five are accused of assaulting the girl on the same date and place.

The offense is punishable with up to a year in prison under the Offenses Against the Person Ordinance.

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Bed bugs found at NAIA

 

Chairs at NAIA are disinfected after bed bug bites were reported by passengers

Disinfection was carried out at Terminals 2 and 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport yesterday, after departing passengers reported being bitten by bed bugs there.

The passengers posted photos of their buttocks and thighs filled with red rashes from the bites on the Facebook group DIY Travel Philippines, and told fellow travellers to take care.

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One complainant said she was bitten after she sat on a rattan chair at Terminal 2 on Feb. 23.

However, videos uploaded yesterday by some media outlets showed the tiny bugs swarming on the metal chairs at the terminals as well.

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The Manila International Airport Authority which manages NAIA’s three terminals admitted receiving complaints about the bed bug infestation, and said it provided medical treatment to those affected.

In a statement, MIAA also said all the seats identified in the reports had been pulled out permanently while disinfection at the airport will continue to be undertaken.

One of the bitten passengers posted photos of her backside, along with a warning

“The MIAA apologizes to the victims and assures them that a speedy resolution to this can be expected,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, MIAA General Manager Eric Ines directed the terminal managers to investigate the infestation, and provide a report with recommendations on how to resolve the issue.

The managers were also told to conduct thorough facility inspections and enhance sanitation at the terminals.

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\Manila’s airport is not the only one grappling with bed bug scare. Last November, Hong Kong authorities were alerted to an online photo that showed what appeared to be a bedbug on an Airport Express train.

The bedbug photo prompted immediate deep cleaning of the airport train in question

The MTR Corporation immediately carried out deep cleaning of the train after receiving a report from a passenger, but said no insects similar to the one in the photo was found.

Bedbug problems at airports have previously been reported in Seoul, Paris and London, sparking concerns that they could reach Hong Kong, too.

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