Page 169 - Hospital Authority Convention 2017
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Symposiums



                SS5.3     Social Hygiene Service – a Crossover of Clinical Service and      10:45  Theatre 2
                          Public Health

               Social Hygiene Clinic – a Platform for Sexually Transmitted Infection Control and Prevention
               Wong ASC                                                                                            HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2017
               Social Hygiene Service, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, The Government of the Hong Kong Special
               Administrative Region

               Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV are among the most widespread and harmful infectious diseases, exacting
               substantial social and economic burden on families and communities worldwide. They remain to be important causes of
               morbidity and mortality due to common complications (WHO, 2014). In Hong Kong, about 12,000 reported STIs diagnosed in
               Social Hygiene Service (SHS) annually include syphilis, gonorrhoea, non-gonococcal urethritis/non-specific genital infection
               (of which the most common pathogen identified as chlamydia trachomatis), genital wart and herpes genitalis. Sexual contact
               is the major mode of transmission.
               The SHS under the Public Health Services Branch of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health
               (DH) is responsible for the management, prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Services of SHS
               include providing diagnostic assessment, treatment and care; promoting health and preventing STD through individual health
               counselling and other health education activities and tracing contacts for investigation and defaulters for treatment and
               follow-up.

               The SHS undertakes the mission to strengthen STI prevention and control in Hong Kong. Particular strategies are taken to
               develop and uphold standards in STI management and introduce measures to curb the spread of STI. Local STD programme
               is composed of two complementary components: clinical and public health programme. The aims of clinical programme
               are to deliver high quality clinical management to people with STIs via outpatient clinics throughout the territory and to
               maintain a framework on which builds the public health programme through minimal hindrance to access to care by people
               exposed to the risk of STIs, provision of high standard medical treatment to STIs, appropriate counselling, and with good
               support rendered by the Public Health Laboratory Service Branch of CHP. For the public health programme, its aims are to
               monitor epidemiology of STIs, and develop and conduct preventive interventions by means of continual clinic-based STI
               and behavioural surveillance, time honoured contact and defaulter tracing system, outreach health promotion, professional
               support to private sector and continuing medical education to medical professionals, partnership with other stakeholders in
               STI/HIV prevention.
               Effective STI control and prevention relies on relevant behavioural risk assessment, accurate diagnosis, prompt and effective
               treatment, health and safer sex education, contact tracing and appropriate follow-up. The SHS offers a user-friendly, easily
               accessible and comprehensive service in STI control and prevention to the community.                Wednesday, 17 May












































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