Latest news with #UniversityOfHongKong
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Will new US curbs on China's tech tests raise electronic prices for American consumers?
Washington's recent ban on Chinese labs deemed security risks over their testing of consumer electronics bound for the US has observers wondering about law enforcement while saying the ban may leave American consumers with fewer, more expensive choices. Analysts also say the impact on Chinese makers of phones, PCs and the like could be limited, even though Washington appears to be trying to curtail China, a country the US Federal Communications Commission calls an adversary. 'It is hard to determine where each component is tested, when so many things make up a smartphone,' said Chen Zhiwu, chair professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong. 'Some of them are designed and tested in South Korea, some in Japan, some in the US ... I don't know how you can enforce it.' With a unanimous 4-0 vote, the FCC finalised its new rules on May 22. In justifying the move, the government agency said it had found that Chinese labs – those recognised as having tested American-bound devices over the years – retain deep connections with the Communist Party and military. 'These labs provide a gateway into the US telecommunications infrastructure,' FCC chairman Brendan Carr said in a May 22 statement. 'It is not hard to imagine that an unreliable lab – one beholden to a foreign adversary – could sign off on insecure gear entering the US.'
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
3 gastroenteritis cases at Hong Kong hospital unrelated, investigation finds
A trio of suspected gastroenteritis cases at a Hong Kong hospital earlier this year, in which the death of a young doctor prompted concerns of an outbreak of a highly toxic strain of E coli, were unrelated, health authorities have found. The Centre for Health Protection also said in revealing the outcome of its investigation on Friday that the young oncologist who died had traces of a certain kind of rotavirus, rather than the previously thought Shiga toxin-producing E coli (STEC), but that his cause of death was 'uncertain'. An expert from the investigating team suggested it was the first time that a particular strain of the rotavirus had been detected in Hong Kong, but there was no evidence of a community outbreak. The death of the young doctor at Princess Margaret Hospital in February prompted concerns that an outbreak of the toxic strain had emerged after it was found in the stool sample of one of the doctors who suffered milder symptoms. 'Based on the available information, the [centre] confirmed that there was no STEC outbreak in the oncology department of [the hospital] and that there was no linkage between the illnesses of the three doctors,' it said. The investigation, which included an expert team from the department of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), found that a stool sample of the doctor who was suspected of having a STEC infection did not grow 'viable' bacteria of the infectious strain.
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
What experts say Hong Kong gets right and wrong in plan to tap ‘silver economy'
Hong Kong's plan to tap the multibillion-dollar 'silver economy' and bolster elderly residents' spending power requires measures that will increase their participation in the workforce and give them more income, such as a flexible retirement age and better medical insurance, analysts have said. Advertisement The government on Tuesday announced 30 measures aimed at reaping the economic rewards of the ageing population. Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing outlined five key areas his new working group would tackle: boosting consumption, developing industries tied to the silver economy, promoting quality assurance of 'silver products', enhancing financial arrangements for the demographic and unleashing the productivity of older residents. Elderly women play cards in To Kwa Wan. According to authorities, the spending by people aged 60 and above reached about HK$342 billion in 2024. Photo: Sam Tsang 'As the population ages, the elderly are becoming healthier and wealthier,' Paul Yip Siu-fai, a professor at the department of social work and social administration at the University of Hong Kong, said. 'Providing more preferential offers to them will help drive the silver economy. 'This should be done, but it remains to be seen whether the measures are enough. More needed to be done to spur the overall growth of the market surrounding the needs of the elderly, he added. Advertisement The number of people aged 65 and above in Hong Kong is expected to increase from 1.64 million in 2023 to 2.67 million in 2043, accounting for about 35 per cent of the population, according to official projections.
South China Morning Post
08-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong scientists make breakthrough on needle-free flu jab offering more protection
Hong Kong scientists have made a breakthrough in developing a new flu vaccine that is needle-free and has the potential to induce a more robust immune response against various virus strains. Advertisement The University of Hong Kong's Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine said on Thursday it had developed two novel vaccine approaches, each with its own characteristics and advantages that were expected to be used to create a new flu jab in the future. Professor Leo Poon Lit-man, chair of public health virology, said the long-lasting protective effects of new vaccines may reduce the need to receive yearly jabs, with more research to be done to determine the exact frequency. 'On mice, the protection given by the vaccine was very satisfactory compared with other live-attenuated influenza vaccines and inactivated vaccines,' he said. 'We can also see that the mice had a great immune response against different types of influenza, including human and avian ones. We believe our vaccines are not required to be received every year.' Advertisement Live-attenuated vaccines use a weakened form of the virus that causes a disease. Because these vaccines are so similar to the natural infection that they help prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response, according to health authorities.
South China Morning Post
08-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong scientists make breakthrough on flu vaccine offering more protection
Hong Kong scientists have made a breakthrough in developing a new flu vaccine that is needle-free and has the potential to induce a more robust immune response against various virus strains. Advertisement The University of Hong Kong's Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine said on Thursday it had developed two novel vaccine approaches, each with its own characteristics and advantages that were expected to be used to create a new flu jab in the future. Professor Leo Poon Lit-man, chair of public health virology, said the long-lasting protective effects of new vaccines may reduce the need to receive yearly jabs, with more research to be done to determine the exact frequency. 'On mice, the protection given by the vaccine was very satisfactory compared with other live-attenuated influenza vaccines and inactivated vaccines,' he said. 'We can also see that the mice had a great immune response against different types of influenza, including human and avian ones. We believe our vaccines are not required to be received every year.' Advertisement Live-attenuated vaccines use a weakened form of the virus that causes a disease. Because these vaccines are so similar to the natural infection that they help prevent, they create a strong and long-lasting immune response, according to health authorities.
