The Macao Special Administrative Region has imported 200 doses of encephalitis bacterin from neighboring Guangdong Province in south China, which has found 18 deaths of the deadly disease, said a senior health official here Monday.
Koi Kuok Ieng, director of the Macao Health Service, said that the amount of bacterin is enough to try the epidemic immunity on 1,000 people. However, the health authority would suggest people take the bacterin cautiously because of its side effects.
The Health Service has imposed public education on the disease,and appeased worries by saying that there is no hog rearing farm in Macao. The virus found on hog is spread by mosquitos.
The Disease Prevention and Control Center of Macao has given Macao an evaluation of low infection possibility of the encephalitis B outbreak. Macao has only recorded one such case in the past 20 years.
Meanwhile, health checks reinforced at Macao's customs since the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak will continue to act as a defense against epidemic spreading across theborder.
Koi said that Macao will sustain the quarantine checks at all of its entry points till June next year, which requires passengersto fill in health declaration forms and go through infrared temperature examination.
(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2003)
