The World Health Organisation (WHO) will send a dengue fever expert to Hong Kong next month to help improve preventive and control measures.
Meanwhile, Australian-based experts have told the Sunday Morning Post that Hong Kong should consider laws to ensure better compliance of anti-mosquito controls and greater efforts to identify mosquito breeding grounds.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said officials had been in close contact with the WHO, which accepted an invitation to send an expert next month.
Liaison with international health agencies is part of a multi-pronged strategy adopted last week by the government steering committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai, to tackle the dengue outbreak.
The number of local cases has remained at 20 since a 61-year-old man in Shamshuipo developed symptoms on September 25. Six other cases were imported.
An Australian-based vector control consultant said Hong Kong should also consider legislative measures to ensure compliance with anti-mosquito controls.
Rodney Wade, chief executive officer of Environmental Conservation Planning and Consultancy in Queensland, said although the steering committee's approach was a step in the right direction, he 'could not find anything that set out the actions that the government was going to undertake via their building, sewer and water regulations'.