Hong Kong residents' sense of personal hygiene is good but they are less aware of how to keep their house and community clean.

A New Forum survey, covering 613 people, conducted in May-June has found that 60 per cent wash their hands before meals and 80 per cent cover their mouth while sneezing.

But most interviewees showed a less cautious approach towards household hygiene practices, with only 23 per cent saying they cleaned their homes with disinfectants.

About 25 per cent said they'd wear a facemask if they had fever, while about 15 per cent had never put on one.

Most respondents didn't take precautions against contagious diseases, and 48.1 per cent said they would simply avoid contact with an infected person. And alarmingly, 14.9 per cent said they wouldn't take any preventive measures in the presence of infected persons.

New Forum spokesman Chan Tak-ming said citizens were beginning to let their guard down two years after SARS.

"Compared to two years ago when SARS attacked Hong Kong, people are beginning to show a lack of precaution against infectious diseases. The government should increase publicity levels to raise people's awareness about disease prevention. (It should also) review hygiene practices in each district."

Survey results also show that students and the younger generation have the least satisfactory personal hygiene habits, while housewives are most aware of preventive measures against diseases.

Women showed a stronger hygiene ethic than men. Chan said: "As results of our survey suggest, women have a higher awareness of disease prevention and hygiene maintenance... they should be assigned to positions of authority to monitor hygiene conditions in workplaces and at home."

Infectious disease expert Lo Wing-lok said Hong Kong must remain prepared against the threat of infectious diseases.

"Almost 60 per cent of the survey's respondents admitted that they were worried about a reemergence of SARS in the territory, but that didn't reflect in their hygiene practices," Lo said. "We must review Hong Kong's preparedness against new infectious diseases and remind ourselves of the lessons we learnt two years ago."

(HK Edition 06/21/2005 page2)