To prevent the spread of dengue fever, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong has installed 43 mosquito-killing machines at its major leisure venues and 17 others will be set up soon.

The machines proved effective in trials at Hong Kong Park in May this year, and more such machines have been installed at outdoor venues to protect the public's health, according to the department which launched a new campaign on Monday to eliminate mosquitoes in Hong Kong.

The machines mimic the human body by emitting carbon dioxide, heat and moisture that insects mistake for the breath of their prey. At the same time, the machines vacuum the insects into a net, where they are killed.

The department has taken vigorous preventive measures against dengue fever in Hong Kong. Special attention was paid to removing stagnant water from clogged channels, ponds, tree holes, bamboo stumps, flowerpots and other containers. Chemicals such as larvicide oil were applied on stagnant water that could not immediately be eliminated to control mosquito larvae.

The department has already deployed staff in 18 districts to carry out anti-mosquito measures at all its venues at least once a week. A total of 6,230 special anti-mosquito operations and 12,420special cleansing operations were conducted in Hong Kong between September 2002 and August 2003.

(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2003)