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South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Stay alert to chikungunya fever threat, leading expert tells Hongkongers
Hongkongers should stay vigilant against chikungunya fever, leading expert Yuen Kwok-yung has said, stressing that the mosquito-borne disease could cause prolonged and severe joint pain amid weak population immunity. Yuen, chair of infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong's Department of Microbiology, made the warning on Thursday, following recent outbreaks in mainland China, including 3,000 cases reported in Foshan city in Guangdong province. While no chikungunya fever cases have been registered in Hong Kong since 2020, Yuen has said that any potential outbreak in the city could be on a large scale. 'Any outbreak could be major because we have no immunity, so we should not take it lightly,' he said during a radio show. 'Normally, you might only experience a fever, rash and swollen joints. Most people will be fine, but you must not forget that if you have a chronic illness, it can be very serious to those who are very old or very young. 'It can affect your brain and cause inflammation of the retina or even retinal detachment. It can also impact the heart.'
Bloomberg
11 hours ago
- Health
- Bloomberg
China Reports Record Outbreak of Painful Mosquito-Borne Virus
A city in China's southern industrial hub has recorded more than 3,100 chikungunya cases so far this month, the country's biggest outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus since it first emerged in the mainland nearly two decades ago. Foshan city — in Guangdong Province, just north of Hong Kong — first reported an imported chikungunya case earlier in July, China's national broadcaster CCTV said, citing briefings from local authorities.
South China Morning Post
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Cabaret star Rick Lau on his journey from a Chiu Chow corner shop to the stage
I WAS BORN in February 1970. An Aquarian. They're dreamers, they're not practical, but they're charismatic and people like them a lot. I have four siblings, so with my parents there were seven of us living in a 220 sq ft flat in in February 1970. An Aquarian. They're dreamers, they're not practical, but they're charismatic and people like them a lot. I have four siblings, so with my parents there were seven of us living in a 220 sq ft flat in Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate . It was a typical Chiu Chow family. Chiu Chow people love to have small businesses. We had a si do, a corner shop, and that was pre-supermarket days, so it was always busy. I remember the whole family had to work in that shop. My responsibility was slicing bread. I was in primary school then and it was a happy time because I could snack on whatever I wanted. My favourite was Toblerone and Maltesers. An endless supply. Advertisement MY PARENTS HAD COME over in the 1960s from China in that migration wave from (the over in the 1960s from China in that migration wave from (the Chaoshan region of Guangdong province). The radio was always on in the shop. I listened to a lot of the Top 40 countdowns; that was how I was exposed to American music. We didn't have a television until I was in Primary Five or Six. I remember one Chinese New Year they were playing Barry Manilow in concert and at the time I didn't know who he was. All I remember was this tall, lanky guy with long blond hair, playing the piano and singing 'Even Now', and all the girls were screaming. I remember thinking, 'I want to do that. I want to sing in front of people.' Rick Lau was the youngest in a Chiu Chow family living in Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate. Photo: courtesy Rick Lau I WENT TO SCHOOL at Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College, in Ho Man Tin. I played badminton for the school team. I went to Australia for Year 12, to Adelaide, where I lived with my sister. Then I studied computer science at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney. As a Chinese boy, you have to do what your parents tell you, and that's why I did computer science and became an IT consultant for six years. But, you know, once you've done that, perhaps you're free to do what you want. WHEN I WAS an IT consultant in Sydney, I started doing amateur productions of musicals. My first was Oklahoma. I was the only Chinese in it and I played an American cowboy. Then I did The Count of Luxembourg. I also did a pro-am production, so we didn't get paid as actors but the production team were paid. That was Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, about the Westernisation of Japan, and it inspired me, because it was the first time I was in a lead role. After that I started thinking about whether I could do it as a career. Rick Lau as Mimi Moore the flight attendant in City Contemporary Dance Company's Home Sweat Home, which premiered in 2021. Photo: Eddie Wong WHILE I WAS thinking about that, a friend took me to a clairvoyant. They look at you and your guardian angels, and the guardian angels give the clairvoyant messages and he or she will relay them on to you. So I sat down, and before I'd said anything, she said to me: 'I could see you on stage in elaborate costume on a beautiful set. You were singing your heart out and the audience was mesmerised.' For me, that was like a message from the universe. So, two weeks later, I handed in my resignation. Luckily, I got into drama school – the National Institute of Dramatic Art, in Sydney. I did musical theatre. That was when I was 28. Now one of my life mottos is: leap and the net will appear. I've co-created seven cabarets with Tony Taylor, one of my mentors, who was my teacher at drama school. He taught me so much about cabaret because he came from a vaudeville tradition and was a great comic actor. He taught me about comic timing and storytelling through songs. Advertisement I WORKED AT a call centre for a year or so. Then I got into a musical – Naked Boys Singing! We had to be naked on stage singing, in Sydney. The second show I got was Hair, where at the end of act one, everyone was naked facing the audience. It was great training. I was young so I wasn't self-conscious. I wouldn't do it now!
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
WHO issues global warning as Chikungunya virus spreads in China
The mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus has recently begun to spread rapidly in southern China, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday. The organization is also warning of the disease's spread to other parts of the world. In the Chinese megacity of Foshan in Guangdong province, authorities have recorded 2,659 cases so far, Chinese state media reported. According to the report, 53 hospitals in the city with a total of more than 3,600 mosquito-proof beds have been designated for the treatment of the infectious disease. All cases reported so far have been mild. The WHO says the disease is already present in 119 countries. Theoretically, 5.6 billion people could be infected. The authorities recommend removing breeding grounds for mosquito larvae, such as flower pots, or killing the mosquitoes with chemical agents as a preventive measure. Long clothing also protects against bites. The tropical infectious disease is not usually fatal, but causes fever and severe joint and muscle pain. This is often accompanied by headaches and extreme exhaustion. The disease usually subsides after one to two weeks. However, the WHO says up to 40% of patients experience problems lasting months or years after infection. There was a Chikungunya epidemic in 2004 and 2005, which spread from small island states in the Indian Ocean to the rest of the world, affecting half a million people. The WHO says a similar pattern has been observed since the beginning of the year. Solve the daily Crossword
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Climate
- Free Malaysia Today
Storms hit southern China mainland in wake of Typhoon Wipha
The storms brushed past Hong Kong, where it sent nearly 280 people into shelters. (AP pic) BEIJING : Storms drenched southern parts of the Chinese mainland on Monday, triggering warnings of flash floods and landslides, a day after Typhoon Wipha pounded Hong Kong. Heavy rain lashed the cities of Yangjiang, Zhanjiang and Maoming in China's southern province Guangdong after the storm system made landfall on Sunday evening. On Sunday it brushed past Hong Kong, where it felled trees and scaffolding, grounded flights and sent nearly 280 people into shelters. China's national forecaster said it had weakened to a tropical storm upon landfall and forecast it to skirt the coast of Guangdong and move southwesterly towards Vietnam. Heavy rain is forecast for mainland Chinese coastal regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian until Tuesday morning, with warnings of flash floods, landslides and wind hazards. The system will move into the Gulf of Tonkin late Monday morning, over which it will gather intensity before hitting Vietnam's northern coast on Tuesday, the forecaster said.
