The Secretary for Food and Health of Hong Kong York Chow announced on Friday that the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation, the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation, would come into operation on July 14.

The announcement was published in the gazette Friday.

The new law will bring Hong Kong's legislative basis for measures to prevent and control diseases up-to-date and in line with the requirements of the International Health Regulations (2005) of the World Health Organization.

A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said the new ordinance and regulation would strengthen Hong Kong's capability of preventing and controlling infectious diseases.

"This will enable us to properly handle diseases that affect public health, both in peacetime and during a public health emergency," the spokesman said.

The ordinance and regulation provide for robust routine disease prevention measures and establish effective disease surveillance and control systems.

They also provide for a holistic plan of measures with respect to Hong Kong residents, travelers, goods and cross-boundary conveyances for preventing local and cross-boundary spread of diseases.

With the commencement of the ordinance and regulation, the existing Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 141) and most of its subsidiary legislation will be repealed.

(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2008)