DH announces latest situation of Legionnaires' disease cases
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (September 1) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD), and reminded the public of the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.
From August 24 to 30, the CHP recorded three LD cases. Among these, one was an imported case and two were community-acquired cases. All of the patients involved had underlying illnesses. The details of the cases are as follows:
Community-acquired cases:
a 76-year-old male patient living in Kwun Tong District; and
a 65-year-old male patient living in Eastern District.
Imported case:
a 61-year-old male patient who travelled to the Mainland during the incubation period.
The CHP is conducting epidemiological investigations to identify potential sources of infection and high-risk exposure. Initial investigations revealed that all three cases are sporadic cases. No epidemiological linkages have been established between these cases and other confirmed cases previously recorded in Hong Kong.
As of August 30, 114 LD cases had been recorded this year. In 2024 and 2023, there were 135 and 121 LD cases respectively.
Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels.
Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus that support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.
Immunocompromised persons should:
Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices; and
If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers' instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily.
The public should observe the health advice below:
Observe personal hygiene;
Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
If a fresh-water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer's recommendations;
Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
Seek and follow doctors' professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes:
Wear gloves and a face mask;
Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.
The public may visit the CHP'sLD page, theCode of Practice for Prevention of LDand theHousekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Managementof the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP'srisk-based strategyfor prevention and control of LD.
Source: AI-found images
Volume and price statistics of external merchandise trade in November 2025
Further to the external merchandise trade statistics in value terms for November 2025 released earlier on, the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (January 15) the volume and price statistics of external merchandise trade for that month.
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), Photo source: reference image
In November 2025, the volume of Hong Kong's total exports of goods and imports of goods increased by 15.4% and 15.1% respectively over November 2024.
Comparing the first 11 months of 2025 with the same period in 2024, the volume of Hong Kong's total exports of goods and imports of goods increased by 12.0% and 11.6% respectively.
Comparing the three-month period ending November 2025 with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the volume of total exports of goods and imports of goods increased by 0.3% and 2.0% respectively.
Changes in volume of external merchandise trade are derived from changes in external merchandise trade value with the effect of price changes discounted.
Comparing November 2025 with November 2024, the prices of total exports of goods and imports of goods both increased by 3.0%.
As regards price changes in the first 11 months of 2025 over the same period in 2024, the prices of total exports of goods and imports of goods both increased by 2.1%.
Price changes in external merchandise trade are reflected by changes in unit value indices of external merchandise trade, which are compiled based on average unit values or, for certain commodities, specific price data.
The terms of trade index is derived from the ratio of price index of total exports of goods to that of imports of goods. Compared with the same periods in 2024, the index remained virtually unchanged in both November 2025 and the first 11 months of 2025.
Changes in the unit value and volume of total exports of goods by main destination are shown in Table 1.
Comparing November 2025 with November 2024, increases were recorded for the total export volume to all main destinations: Vietnam (49.0%), the USA (43.8%), Taiwan (37.8%), Chinese Mainland (the Mainland) (12.9%) and India (2.7%).
Over the same period of comparison, the total export prices to all main destinations increased: Taiwan (5.2%), India (4.9%), the Mainland (3.0%), Vietnam (2.7%) and the USA (1.7%).
Changes in the unit value and volume of imports of goods by main supplier are shown in Table 2.
Comparing November 2025 with November 2024, increases were recorded for the import volume from Vietnam (92.6%) and the Mainland (22.9%). On the other hand, the import volume from Taiwan (-0.4%), Singapore (-3.8%) and Korea (-10.2%) decreased.
Over the same period of comparison, the import prices from all main suppliers increased: Singapore (5.3%), Taiwan (4.2%), Vietnam (3.6%), Korea (3.3%) and the Mainland (2.2%).
Further information
Details of the above statistics are published in the November 2025 issue of "Hong Kong Merchandise Trade Index Numbers". Users can browse and download the report at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1020006&scode=230).
Enquiries on merchandise trade indices may be directed to the Trade Analysis Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4918).
Source: AI-found images
