Hong Kong reports no new chikungunya fever cases, urges public to maintain mosquito control measures.

CHP announces no new confirmed chikungunya fever infection cases today

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (August 9) said that no new confirmed chikungunya fever (CF) infection cases had been recorded as at 5pm today. The CHP will continue to strengthen its surveillance work in view of the CF cases in recent days. Members of the public are advised to maintain strict environmental hygiene, mosquito control and personal protective measures both locally and when travelling outside of Hong Kong. Avoiding mosquito bites and eliminating mosquito breeding sites are effective ways to prevent CF.

A total of five CF cases have been recorded in Hong Kong this year, all of which were imported cases, and one probable case has been recorded. From 2016 to 2019, between one and 11 CF cases were recorded in Hong Kong each year, all of which were imported cases.

In view of the occurrence of multiple imported cases in Hong Kong, the risk of secondary local transmission via mosquitoes exists. The CHP will issue a letter again to remind doctors to arrange testing for patients with clinically compatible presentations of CF regardless of travel history. Testing should also be considered for patients with any symptoms of CF and a travel history to affected areas, based on clinical judgment. The CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch will provide free testing to ensure rapid diagnosis.

The DH has enhanced publicity and education efforts regarding CF targeting different groups. The CHP's Port Health Division continues to step up inspections at boundary control points to ensure good environmental hygiene and effective implementation of anti-mosquito measures, and also distributes leaflets to travellers. The Port Health Division staff has recently reminded MTR Corporation, cross-boundary coach and ferry companies operators, and the Airport Authority to strengthen anti-mosquito measures. Furthermore, staff members of the Port Health Division also conduct temperature screening for inbound travellers. Any travellers with fever or related symptoms will be assessed for their health condition and referred to hospitals for follow-up when necessary.

To raise the awareness of the elderly on preventing CF, the Visiting Health Teams under the Elderly Health Service of the DH have been advising the elderly on CF prevention and travel health at the health talks conducted at District Elderly Community Centres and Neighbourhood Elderly Centres, and reminding residential care homes for the elderly to enhance mosquito control measures. The Visiting Health Teams under the Elderly Health Service has promoted information of CF prevention at more than 300 health promotion activities provided to the elderly and their carers. In addition, the Elderly Health Service has arranged for the distribution of relevant leaflets at Elderly Health Centres across the 18 districts, with a view to helping the elderly to learn about the symptoms of CF and enhance their awareness of prevention of CF. The Family Health Service has also advised pregnant women and infant carers at its Maternal and Child Health Centres about precautions for preventing CF. The Student Health Service will distribute promotional leaflets to students at its Student Health Service Centres and Special Assessment Centres so that students could learn more about symptoms of CF.

The Health Promotion Branch is committed to disseminating health information on the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases (including CF) to the public through multiple channels. Measures include setting up Info Stations across various districts in Hong Kong (www.chp.gov.hk/en/other/events/476.html) and distributing relevant health messages through different online and offline platforms, with content updated as appropriate in light of the latest development. To strengthen support for ethnic minority communities, essential information on CF has also been translated into ten ethnic minority languages (including Hindi, Nepali, Urdu, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Sinhala and Bengali) and uploaded to the CHP website. The Health Promotion Branch has also contacted stakeholders serving ethnic minority groups (such as non-governmental organisations and religious groups) to distribute relevant health materials, so that more members of the public can access anti-mosquito information and work together to prevent the spread of CF.

The Head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the CHP, Dr Albert Au, reminded members of the public to adopt precautions in the rainy season against mosquito-borne diseases. If members of the public return from areas affected by mosquito-borne diseases, they should apply insect repellent for 14 days upon arrival in Hong Kong. They should closely observe their personal health condition, in particular symptoms such as fever, joint pain and rash. If they feel unwell, they should seek medical advice promptly and provide their travel details to the doctor for clinical diagnosis and arrangement of appropriate testing based on an individual patient's condition. Members of the public are urged not to self-medicate, particularly with aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen), as these drugs may cause serious side effects, for example increasing the risk of haemorrhage. In general, children should not take medications containing aspirin to relieve fever or other symptoms, as it may lead to a serious and potentially fatal complication called "Reye's syndrome".

The CHP recommends that the public properly use DEET-containing insect repellents or other effective active ingredients to effectively prevent mosquito bites. The following precautions should be taken when using them:

read the label instructions carefully first;

apply right before entering an area with risk of mosquito bites;

apply on exposed skin and clothing;

use DEET of up to 30 per cent for pregnant women and up to 10 per cent for children (For children who travel to countries or areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic or epidemic and where exposure is likely, those aged 2 months or above can use DEET-containing insect repellents with a DEET concentration of up to 30 per cent);

apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent;

reapply only when needed and follow the instructions; and

in addition to DEET, there are other insect repellents available on the market containing different active ingredients, such as IR3535, picaridin etc. When using any insect repellent, the public should follow the usage instructions and precautions on the product label.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) appeals to members of the public to continue to stay alert and work together to carry out mosquito prevention and control measures early, including inspecting their homes and surroundings to remove potential breeding grounds, changing water in vases and scrubbing their inner surfaces, removing water in saucers under potted plants at least once a week, and properly disposing of containers such as soft drink cans and lunch boxes. The FEHD also advises members of the public and estate management bodies to keep drains free of blockage and level all defective ground surfaces to prevent the accumulation of water. They should also scrub all drains and surface sewers with an alkaline detergent at least once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.

The public should call 1823 in case of mosquito problems and may visit the following pages for more information: the CF page of the CHP and the Travel Health Service, the latest Travel Health News, tips for using insect repellents, and the CHP Facebook Page, Instagram Account and YouTube Channel, and also Mosquito Prevention and Control dedicated page of the FEHD.

CHP announces no new confirmed chikungunya fever infection cases today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

CHP announces no new confirmed chikungunya fever infection cases today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

FSD and BD conduct joint inspection and enforcement operation against industrial buildings

In response to earlier media reports on fire safety issues in certain industrial buildings, the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Buildings Department (BD) are highly concerned about the situation and conducted a joint inspection and enforcement operation targeting industrial buildings from December 29 to 31, 2025, with a view to ensuring public safety.

An industrial building in Kwun Tong, Photo by Bastille Post

The FSD and the BD inspected a total of nine industrial buildings located in various districts in Kowloon and the New Territories during the joint operation. The fire personnel identified a total of 261 irregularities related to various fire hazards, such as obstruction or locking of means of escape, defective or wedged-open smoke stop doors, as well as fire service installations or equipment (FSIs) that were defective or not in efficient working order. The FSD took immediate enforcement action against the persons concerned.

An industrial building in Kwun Tong, Photo by Bastille Post

Among the cases related to obstruction of means of escape, the FSD instituted three prosecutions and issued 22 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices (FHANs), requiring the persons concerned to abate the fire hazards within a specified period. Should they fail to comply with the requirements of the FHANs within the period, the FSD will institute resolute prosecution. In addition, inspections revealed that some buildings had defective smoke stop doors and FSIs. The FSD will issue FHANs to the persons concerned and continue to take follow-up action.

The Buildings Department (BD), Photo source: reference image

The BD identified 13 subdivided flats suspected of being used illegally for domestic purposes. Further investigations are now under way, and letters have been sent to the relevant owners and occupiers asking them to contact the BD as soon as possible to arrange an inspection of their flats. Otherwise, the BD will consider applying for a court warrant to enter the premises for inspection. If it is confirmed that the flats in question have been used for illegal domestic purposes, the BD will take enforcement action in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance, including ordering the cessation of illegal domestic use and rectify the dangerous situations. The BD also identified in the operation that there was dilapidation in the exit staircases of one of the industrial buildings, but no obvious danger to the overall building structure was noted. The BD has issued a repair order to the owners' corporation for conducting the necessary repair work.

The Fire Services Department (FSD), Photo source: reference image

Apart from inspection and enforcement, the FSD also carried out fire prevention education and publicity at the same time during the operation to enhance fire safety awareness among owners and occupiers of industrial buildings, thereby mitigating fire risk from the source. The BD has also long been promoting building safety and the proper use of buildings through various channels, including distributing themed posters to management offices of industrial buildings for displaying in prominent places to serve as a reminder to owners and occupiers that industrial buildings must not be used illegally for domestic purposes.