Department of Health, Hong Kong: Annual Report 2013-14

This annual report of the Department of Health reviews the health of our community, introduces the Department’s health services, highlights our work in that year and outlines our future work.

In 2013, emerging communicable diseases continued to be one of the threats to the health of our community. The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome remained active in the Middle East while over a hundred cases of human infection of avian influenza A (H7N9) were also recorded in the Mainland with sporadic imported cases reported locally. In response to these challenges, the Department implemented various measures to guard against the threats of these diseases. With the conjoint efforts of the Department and the community at large, Hong Kong was free from local outbreak of these emerging communicable diseases.

Reducing the impact of non-communicable diseases is also an important area of work of the Department. Tobacco control and reduction of alcohol-related harm have been public health priorities in Hong Kong.