Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ2: Bedbugs problem
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Chiang Lai-wan and a reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative
Council today (October 30):
Question:
In reply to a question from a Member of this Council last year, the
authorities stated that where necessary, the Food and Environmental
Hygiene Department (FEHD) would carry out pest control work in public
places and promote concerted efforts of government departments. However,
it has been recently reported that the numbers of complaints and
requests for assistance concerning bedbugs received by FEHD and the
Housing Department (HD) are on the rise, reflecting that bedbugs have
caused nuisance to the public. I have received more than a hundred
relevant complaints just from Tai Hang Tung Estate, Nam Shan Estate and
Un Chau Estate in Sham Shui Po. According to the residents affected, HD
indicated that there had been only individual sporadic cases of bedbug
problems, and that HD would neither intervene nor provide assistance. On
the other hand, private companies often charge fees ranging from several
thousand to over ten thousand dollars for bedbug control services, which
are hardly affordable to residents of public rental housing estates. In
this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the respective numbers of complaints and requests for assistance
concerning bedbugs received by various government departments as well as
the numbers of bedbug control operations carried out by them in public
places in response to such cases each year from January 2009 to August
this year, with a breakdown by District Council district;
(b) of the names, nature and effectiveness of inter-departmental
anti-mosquito, pest control or bedbug control operations carried out
last year; if such information is not available, of the reasons for
that; and
(c) given the recent surge in the numbers of complaints and requests for
assistance concerning bedbugs, whether the authorities will reconsider
setting up a mechanism to monitor the proliferation and distribution of
bedbugs in the territory, implementing measures to control bedbugs and
help households exterminate bedbugs, and carrying out a major
territory-wide bedbug control operation to safeguard public health and
environmental hygiene; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons
for that?
Reply:
President,
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the
United States, there is at present no known evidence which shows that
bedbugs spread diseases. That said, bedbug bites may cause skin allergy,
itchiness and loss of sleep. I fully understand the nuisance of bedbugs
caused to the public affected, the Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department (FEHD) has therefore been closely monitoring the relevant
situation. In cases where bedbug infestation is found in public places,
FEHD will conduct bedbug control work accordingly.
My reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:
(a) The number of complaints and requests for assistance related to
bedbugs received by the Housing Department (HD) from 2009 to August
2013, and the number of bedbug control operations conducted at the
public places in question are set out at Annex I and Annex II
respectively.
The number of related complaints and requests for assistance received by
FEHD over the same period is at Annex III. In handling these complaints
and requests, FEHD officers have carried out on-site inspections. No
bedbug infestation was found in nearby public places.
(b) FEHD has been engaged in coordinating inter-departmental
anti-mosquito initiatives, maintaining close liaison with the relevant
government departments and providing them with technical support to
facilitate effective implementation of anti-mosquito measures within
their respective purview.
FEHD launches territory-wide anti-mosquito campaigns in collaboration
with other government departments annually, with a view to raising
public awareness of the potential risk of mosquito-borne diseases and
encouraging community participation in the promotion of anti-mosquito
work. The anti-mosquito campaign launched this year was completed in
October. Through the campaign, we sought to heighten public awareness of
the potential risk of dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis (JE) and other
mosquito-borne diseases, encourage community participation and forge
close partnership between the government departments concerned in
anti-mosquito work, and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites.
During the campaign, FEHD officers stepped up inspection, preventive and
control actions as well as publicity work. They focused their actions on
potential breeding sites and trouble spots identified. The relevant
government departments played an equally active role in the campaign by
conducting anti-mosquito operations in places under their purview and
enlisted community support for the campaign through their networks.
District Councils were also invited to participate in the campaign
through the organisation of various anti-mosquito activities at the
district level. During Phases I and II of this year's campaign, a total
of 115 099 mosquito breeding sites and potential breeding sites were
eliminated, 63 warning letters issued and 34 prosecutions instituted.
Before the onset of the rainy season or where necessary, district
environmental hygiene offices of FEHD will convene inter-departmental
anti-mosquito task force meetings, tendering professional advice to the
relevant departments on how to intensify their mosquito preventive and
control work in places under their management. In addition, the
Anti-Mosquito Steering Committee (AMSC), which comprises senior officers
from various bureaux and departments, holds annual meetings to review
the effectiveness of anti-mosquito measures and dengue vector
surveillance work. In the light of two confirmed local cases of JE in
July this year, the AMSC held a special meeting to discuss ways for
further enhancing anti-mosquito measures, intensifying the preventive
and control work of the relevant departments, as well as strengthening
publicity and education. No local dengue fever cases have been reported
so far this year, and no more local JE cases have been reported since
the two confirmed cases in July this year. Nevertheless, all relevant
departments will continue to monitor closely the effectiveness of the
measures and make timely adjustment if necessary, so as to better
control the mosquito problem and minimise the threat of JE and other
mosquito-transmitted diseases.
As for bedbugs, their typical hiding places lie in the cracks, tufts,
coils of springs and hollow posts of mattresses and bedsteads, as well
as the upholstery of chairs and sofas. They are therefore more commonly
found in private places indoor. As has been pointed out in part (a) of
the reply, in handling complaints and requests for assistance last year,
FEHD found no bedbug infestation in nearby public places. As such, the
need to carry out bedbug control operations in public places did not
arise. As bedbugs usually hide in furniture, they will not be found in
public places unless there is abandoned furniture. In cases where public
places are found heavily infested, FEHD will certainly conduct bedbug
control work in those places.
(c) As has been pointed out in part (a) of the reply, since there is at
present no known evidence which shows that bedbugs are disease vectors,
FEHD has not put in place an independent monitoring mechanism to oversee
this issue. That said, FEHD has been closely monitoring the relevant
situation and keeping record of the complaints and requests for
assistance received. In cases where public places are found heavily
infested, FEHD will conduct bedbug control work accordingly.
For effective control of bedbug infestation, members of the public are
well advised to take the following measures: maintaining a clean
domestic environment, cleaning premises regularly, washing bedding and
clothing thoroughly, making sure that second-hand wooden furniture is
free from bedbugs before using it, replacing worn-out wallpapers, and
sealing cracks/crevices on walls and the floor promptly, etc. To help
the public better understand the bedbug problem, FEHD has uploaded
information on bedbug control onto its website and published relevant
leaflets for general reference. At present, a good number of private
companies that provide pest control services are available on the
market. As bedbugs are usually found in private places, FEHD can only
play the role as coordinator to help the members of the public solve the
problems. We are concerned about the significant increase in the number
of bedbug reports in public housing estates and will coordinate and
assist the parties concerned to conduct bedbug control work.
Ends/Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:27
NNNN.