American Citizens Services Newsletter
ACS Newsletter (January 2006)
U.S. CONSULATE GENERAL HONG KONG
January 2006
Welcome to the January newsletter, and Happy New Year! Here are this month's topics:
What can I do now to prepare my family for pandemic influenza?
(from the CDC Pandemic Newsletter)
The world's public health community is on alert and watching the avian influenza type A H5N1 virus (known as the bird flu) carefully. Right now no influenza virus qualifies as a pandemic virus, including H5N1. While scientists are watching the H5N1 virus, they must also look for other influenza viruses that could change to become a threat to human health, and possibly qualify as a pandemic influenza virus.
Still, it's good to be concerned about emergency preparedness. If a pandemic influenza outbreak were to occur in your community, schools and business could be closed. Plan ahead for situations in which you might have to take care of yourself and your family without leaving home. Think about essential supplies like food and medicine.
Influenza viruses spread easily, including seasonal influenza. Hand washing and cough etiquette reduce the chances of becoming ill. Teach your children how to wash their hands to protect them from viruses that cause influenza and colds. For more on hand washing and cough etiquette, check http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands and http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm.
The more you know about pandemic influenza the more you can help your family and community to prepare. To find out more and keep updated, check http://www.pandemicflu.gov.
WHO Food Safety Tips for Bird Flu
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against eating raw poultry parts or raw eggs from areas with avian flu outbreaks in poultry, as well as eating infected birds or using them for animal feed. Cooking to achieve a temperature of 70C throughout all parts of a bird, so that no part remains raw or red, will kill any H5N1 virus present, the agencies said.
"To date, there is no epidemiological evidence that people have become infected after eating contaminated poultry meat that has been properly cooked," the statement said. Many of the people who have contracted avian flu were infected when slaughtering or handling diseased or dead birds before cooking, authorities said. Slaughtering poses the greatest risk of infection.
Most strains of avian flu viruses are found mainly in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts of infected birds, not in the meat, the agencies said. But highly pathogenic viruses like H5N1 make their way into almost all parts of the bird, including the meat. Infected poultry excrete the virus in their secretions and feces, and people may be exposed by inhaling dust or touching contaminated surfaces. The virus can survive in feces for at least 35 days at low temperatures (4C) and for 6 days at higher temperatures (37C). It can survive on surfaces for several weeks, and it is not killed by refrigeration or freezing.
It's not always possible to distinguish infected and uninfected birds in outbreak areas, since ducks may harbor the virus without looking sick, officials said. This increases the importance of using preventive measures. The risk of getting infected by handling a bird produced through an industrialized slaughtering and processing chain is considered very low, even in countries with current outbreaks, authorities said. They also said eating vaccinated poultry poses no particular risk for consumers, provided the vaccination program follows proper standards and includes appropriate monitoring.
Eggs from infected birds can be contaminated on both the inside and the shell, according to the agencies. Although sick birds normally stop laying eggs, eggs laid in the early phase of the disease could be contaminated. Proper cooking kills the virus, as does pasteurization used by industry for liquid egg products. Eggs from areas with outbreaks in poultry should not be consumed raw or partially cooked (with runny yolk), FAO/WHO say. But so far there is no epidemiologic evidence that people have been infected with avian flu by eating eggs or egg products.
Sign Up to Receive Newsletters from Other U.S. Embassies and Consulates
If you frequently travel on business or just want to keep informed about events affecting Americans in a particular country, you can sign up for a free email newsletter from some U.S. embassies and consulates by visiting their websites. For a complete list of embassy and consulate websites, go to http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/embassies/embassies_1214.html. Not all U.S. embassies offer a newsletter. Neighboring missions that offer excellent monthly email newsletters include the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and the U.S. Consulate General in Seoul.
Drug Seizures in Hong Kong
According to the Hong Kong Police Statistics Office 3rd Quarter Report, over 5000kg of Ecstasy was seized by police and customs officials, followed by 77 kg of cannabis, 63 kg of ketamine, as well as smaller quantities of heroin, ice and cocaine.
Let's Get Married
Never one to stand in the way of romance, especially during the holiday season, we have a new page on our web site with information on how to get married in Hong Kong, Macau or on the Mainland. Please find the right person, and then take a look at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_marriage.html
IRS Contact Information
Though tax season is still a few months away, we have learned that an IRS tax consultant will likely travel to Hong Kong in March to meet with interested taxpayers. We will announce all details, including how to make an appointment to meet with him, here once we learn more.
If you are looking for someone to do your taxes for you, we have a list of local tax preparers at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_ustaxconsultants.html.
The Consulate General has not yet received any 2005 tax forms. Forms will be available first online at http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html.
In the meantime, the IRS has a significant amount of information available online, including all needed forms. 2005 tax year forms have not arrived at the Consulate General, so the best way to obtain them is online. As there is no one at the Consulate General who can answer tax questions, please refer to the following sources of information:
IRS PHONE SERVICES
- Individuals: 1-800-829-1040
- Businesses: 1-800-829-4933
- Customer Service Phone: 1-215-516-2000, M-F, 0600-2300 (EST)
- Customer Service Fax: 1-215-516-2555
- Refund Inquiries: 1-800-829-1954
- TeleTax: 1-800-829-4477
- ITINS after 30 days: 1-215-516-4846
- Exempt Organization Help Desk: 1-877-829-5500
- Tax Offset Program (TOP) Help Desk: 1-800-304-3107*
- E-Services Help Desk: 1-512-416-7750
The Fax Service cannot be used to transmit your tax return.
MAILING ADDRESSES
The Philadelphia Service Center services all Overseas filers, including military personnel stationed abroad
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19255-0215
For Courier Service:
PHILADELPHIA SERVICE CENTER
11601 ROOSEVELT BLVD
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19154
ITIN - (to obtain an ITIN - http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_tax.html#non)
IRS Philadelphia Service Center
ITIN Unit
P.O. Box 447
Bensalem, PA 19020
URGENT TAX NEEDS
For Collection/Levy Status Accounts Problems:
- Phone: 1-215-516-2004
- Fax: 1-215-516-6931
Taxpayer Advocate Office
- Phone: 1-215-516-2499
- Fax: 1-215-516-2677
- Toll-Free 1-877-777-4778
INTERNATIONAL TAXPAYER ADVOCATE SERVICE
San Patricio Office Center, Room 200
7 Tabomico Street
Guaynabo, Puerto Rico 00966
Phone: 787-622-8931
Fax: 787-622-8933
Fake IRS Email - Scam Alert
We have learned of a phishing email scam that attempts to convince the user that it is from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by using a spoofed "From" address of "tax-refunds@irs.gov". Upon clicking on the link provided in the email, the user is taken to a fraudulent site that looks like a legitimate U.S. government site. The user is then asked to provide personal information, such as their social security, credit card and bank pin numbers. Do not enter any data; do not respond to this fraudulent email.
The US Computer Emergency Response Team (US-CERT) encourages users to take the following measures to protect themselves from this type of phishing attack: Do not follow unsolicited web links received in email messages and be sure to contact your financial institution immediately if you believe your account/and or financial information has been compromised.
For additional information on ways to avoid phishing email attacks, US-CERT recommends that all users review "Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks" at http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html. Information is also available on Spoofed/Forged Emails at http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/email_spoofing.html.
Online Appointment System for All American Citizens Services
Online appointments are required for all services provided by the American Citizens Services Unit at the U.S. Consulate General Hong. Book your appointment at http://www.hongkongacs.com.
If you need directions to our offices, try this online searchable map:
http://www.ypmap.com/en/viewer.asp?mapService=LocationMap
Search for us by street address at 26 Garden Road.
Need more passport pages?
If your full-validity U.S. passport has not expired yet, but has no blank pages left for say additional Chinese visas, we can add additional pages for you free of charge. Barring any unusual circumstances, we can usually add pages to your passport in about 45 minutes, while you wait. You need to make an appointment for this service. Learn more at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_supplement.html.
Upcoming Holidays and Other Closures
The Consulate General will be closed on the following holidays in 2005.
| December 26, 2005 | | Christmas Day observed |
| December 27, 2005 | | Second Weekday after Christmas Day |
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| January 2, 2006 | | New Year's Day (observed) |
| January 16, 2006 | | Martin Luther King's Birthday |
| January 30, 2006 | | Second day of the Lunar New Year |
| January 31, 2006 | | Third day of the Lunar New Year |
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| February 20, 2006 | | President's Day |
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| April 5, 2006 | | Ching Ming Festival |
| April 14, 2006 | | Good Friday |
| April 17, 2006 | | Easter Monday |
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| May 1, 2006 | | Labor Day |
| May 29, 2006 | | Memorial Day |
Subscribing/Unsubscribing
Anyone who wishes to sign up to receive this monthly ACS email newsletter and the travel advice we provide can do so simply by going to our web page at http://www.hongkongacs.com and submit their email address in the fill-in box towards the bottom of the page. You can also unsubscribe through the web page.
New subscribers will be sent the last few messages we have sent out in a digest form to help them catch up. Back issues are on the web at http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/acs_newsletter.html.
This newsletter is published by the American Citizens Services Unit, U.S. Consulate General, Hong Kong, tel: 2841-2211, 2841-2323, 2841-2225; fax: 2845-4845; e-mail: acshk@state.gov; website: http://www.hongkongacs.com; All services by online appointment only.
Last modified: December 20, 2005
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