DH announces latest situation of Legionnaires' disease cases
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (December 29) reported the latest number of Legionnaires' disease (LD) cases, 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 December 21 to 27, the CHP recorded three community-acquired and one imported LD cases. The details of the cases are as follows:
- A 67-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses, living in Central and Western District, classified as a community-acquired case;
- A 72-year-old female patient with underlying illnesses, living in North District, classified as a community-acquired case;
- A 77-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses, living in Kwun Tong District, classified as a community-acquired case; and
- A 46-year-old male patient with good past health, who travelled to Spain, Italy, France and the United States during the incubation period, classified as an imported case.
The CHP is conducting epidemiological investigations to identify potential sources of infection and high-risk exposure. Initial investigations revealed that these are sporadic cases. No epidemiological linkages have been established between the threecommunity-acquired cases and other confirmed cases previously recorded in Hong Kong.
As of December 27, 165 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, whirlpool spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or ships.
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, whirlpool spas, water fountains, humidifiers and home respiratory devices 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) or less 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's LD page, the Code of Practice for Prevention of LD and the Housekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Management of the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP's risk-based strategy for prevention and control of LD.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP), Photo source: reference image
External merchandise trade statistics for November 2025
The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (December 29) the external merchandise trade statistics for November 2025. In November 2025, the values of Hong Kong's total exports and imports of goods both recorded year-on-year increases, at 18.8% and 18.1% respectively.
In November 2025, the value of total exports of goods increased by 18.8% over a year earlier to $468.9 billion, after a year-on-year increase by 17.5% in October 2025. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods increased by 18.1% over a year earlier to $517.4 billion in November 2025, after a year-on-year increase by 18.3% in October 2025. A visible trade deficit of $48.5 billion, equivalent to 9.4% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in November 2025.
For the first 11 months of 2025 as a whole, the value of total exports of goods increased by 14.3% over the same period in 2024. Concurrently, the value of imports of goods increased by 14.1%. A visible trade deficit of $382.8 billion, equivalent to 7.5% of the value of imports of goods, was recorded in the first 11 months of 2025.
Comparing the three-month period ending November 2025 with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the value of total exports of goods increased by 1.4%. Meanwhile, the value of imports of goods increased by 2.8%.
Analysis by country/territory
Comparing November 2025 with November 2024, total exports to Asia as a whole grew by 17.1%. In this region, increases were registered in the values of total exports to some major destinations, in particular Malaysia (+72.0%), Vietnam (+54.9%), Taiwan (+45.3%), Thailand (+39.6%) and Chinese Mainland (the Mainland) (+16.4%).
Apart from destinations in Asia, increases were registered in the values of total exports to most major destinations in other regions, in particular the USA (+44.4%) and the Netherlands (+36.4%).
Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports from most major suppliers, in particular Vietnam (+102.3%), the Mainland (+25.0%), Malaysia (+21.1%), the United Kingdom (+19.7%) and the USA (+17.8%).
Comparing the first 11 months of 2025 with the same period in 2024, increases were registered in the values of total exports to most major destinations, in particular Malaysia (+55.1%), Vietnam (+52.9%), Taiwan (+40.5%), the Mainland (+15.8%) and Japan (+13.7%).
Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports from most major suppliers, in particular Vietnam (+90.6%), the United Kingdom (+43.9%), Malaysia (+19.8%), Taiwan (+19.0%) and the Mainland (+14.4%). On the other hand, a decrease was recorded in the value of imports from Korea (-15.0%).
Analysis by major commodity
Comparing November 2025 with November 2024, increases were registered in the values of total exports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $31.5 billion or +15.9%) and "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $16.4 billion or +36.8%).
Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $34.1 billion or +16.9%) and "telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment" (by $16.8 billion or +34.3%).
Comparing the first 11 months of 2025 with the same period in 2024, increases were registered in the values of total exports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $315.5 billion or +15.9%) and "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $129.0 billion or +26.6%).
Over the same period of comparison, increases were registered in the values of imports of most principal commodity divisions, in particular "electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof" (by $334.7 billion or +16.8%) and "office machines and automatic data processing machines" (by $112.9 billion or +27.7%).
Commentary
A Government spokesman said that the value of merchandise exports continued to show a strong performance, growing by 18.8% in November over a year earlier. Exports to most major markets showed further robust growth. Analysed by commodity, exports of most major commodities rose visibly, particularly for exports of electrical equipment, machinery and mechanical appliances.
Looking ahead, sustained moderate global economic growth and persistent demand for electronic-related products will underpin Hong Kong's merchandise trade growth in the near term. The Government will continue its ongoing effort to enhance economic and trade ties with different markets, and stay vigilant to the developments of various uncertainties in the external environment.
Further information
Table 1 presents the analysis of external merchandise trade statistics for November 2025. Table 2 presents the original monthly trade statistics from January 2022 to November 2025, and Table 3 gives the seasonally adjusted series for the same period.
The values of total exports of goods to 10 main destinations for November 2025 are shown in Table 4, whereas the values of imports of goods from 10 main suppliers are given in Table 5.
Tables 6 and 7 show the values of total exports and imports of 10 principal commodity divisions for November 2025.
All the merchandise trade statistics described here are measured at current prices and no account has been taken of changes in prices between the periods of comparison. A separate analysis of the volume and price movements of external merchandise trade for November 2025 will be released in mid-January 2026.
The November 2025 issue of "Hong Kong External Merchandise Trade" contains detailed analysis on the performance of Hong Kong's external merchandise trade in November 2025 and will be available in early January 2026. Users can browse and download the report at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1020005&scode=230).
Enquiries on merchandise trade statistics may be directed to the Trade Analysis Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4691).
Source: AI-found images
