Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [225]
If you develop diarrhoea, be sure to drink plenty of fluids, preferably an oral rehydration solution containing lots of salt and sugar. A few loose stools doesn’t mean you require treatment, but if you start experiencing more than four or five stools a day, you should start taking an antibiotic (usually a quinolone drug) and an anti-diarrhoeal agent (such as loperamide). If diarrhoea is bloody, or persists for more than 72 hours, or is accompanied by fever, shaking chills or severe abdominal pain, you should seek medical attention.
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Environmental Hazards
INSECTS
Mosquitoes are prevalent in Hong Kong. You should always use insect repellent and if you’re bitten use hydrocortisone cream to reduce swelling. Lamma Island is home to large red centipedes, which have a poisonous bite that causes swelling and discomfort in most cases, but can be more dangerous (and supposedly in very rare cases deadly) for young children.
MAMMALS
Wild boars and aggressive dogs are a minor hazard in some of the more remote parts of the New Territories. Wild boars are shy and retiring most of the time but are dangerous when they feel threatened, so give them a wide berth and avoid disturbing thick areas of undergrowth.
SNAKES
There are many snakes in Hong Kong, and some are deadly, but you are unlikely to encounter any. Still, always take care when bushwalking, particularly on Lamma and Lantau Islands. Go straight to a public hospital if bitten; private doctors do not stock antivenin.
WATER
Avoid drinking the local water, as its quality varies enormously and depends on the pipes in the building you’re in. Bottled water is a safer option, or you can boil tap water for three minutes.
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Online Resources
The World Health Organization (WHO) publishes a superb book called International Travel and Health, which is revised annually and is available online at www.who.int/ith for free.
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Recommended Immunisations
There are no required vaccinations for entry into Hong Kong or Macau unless you have travelled from a country infected with yellow fever. In this case, you will have to show your yellow-fever vaccination certificate. Hong Kong is a highly developed city and, as such, immunisations are not really necessary unless you will be travelling to the mainland or elsewhere in the region.
Since most vaccines don’t produce immun-ity until at least two weeks after they’re given, visit a physician four to eight weeks before departure. Ask your doctor for an Inter-national Certificate of Vaccination (or ‘yellow booklet’), which will list all of the vaccinations you’ve received.
If your health insurance doesn’t cover you for medical expenses abroad, consider supplemental insurance (check out www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/insurance.do for more information).
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HOLIDAYS
Western and Chinese culture combine to create an interesting mix – and number – of public holidays in Hong Kong and Macau. Determining the exact date of some of them is tricky, as there are traditionally two calendars in use: the Gregorian solar (or Western) calendar and the Chinese lunar calendar.
The following are public holidays in both Hong Kong and Macau (unless otherwise noted). For Macau-specific holidays, check out Click here.
New Year’s Day 1 January
Chinese New Year 14 February 2010, 3 February 2011
Easter 2 to 5 April 2010, 24 to 27 April 2011
Ching Ming 5 April
Labour Day 1 May
Buddha’s Birthday 21 May 2010
Dragon Boat (Tuen Ng) Festival 16 June 2010, 6 June 2011
Hong Kong SAR Establishment Day 1 July (not in Macau)
Mid-Autumn Festival 22 September 2010, 12 September 2011
China National Day 1 October
Cheung Yeung 16 October 2010, 5 October 2011