CHP investigates local measles case epidemiological linked to earlier measles case
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (April 18) is investigating a local measles case epidemiological linked to an earlier measles case. The CHP reminds members of the public that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles.
The case involves a 30-year-old male who developed myalgia on April 14; a fever and a sore throat on April 15, and a rash on April 17. He attended a private clinic in Mong Kok on April 17 due to persistent symptoms, and was admitted to Caritas Medical Centre for treatment arranged by the CHP on the same day. His clinical specimen was tested positive today for the measles virus upon nucleic acid testing. The patient is isolated for treatment and is in stable condition.
An epidemiological investigation revealed that the patient works at the airport. On April 3, he had worked at the same workplace with the measles case announced on April 6. As the patient is a close contact of the previous airportcase, the CHP has earlierreminded the organisation's medical service provider to pay attention to the possible occurrence of measles case among the close contacts. Thereafter, the organisation's medical service provider reported the suspected case to the CHP for follow up on April 17. The patient was uncertain whether he had received measles vaccination. As he lives alone and had no travel history during the incubation period, the CHP is of the view that the patient was probably infected at the workplace.
During the patient's communicable period (since April 13), in addition to visiting a private clinic on April 17, he worked at the airport from April 13 to 15. The CHP has been carrying out contact tracing in the private clinic that the patient had visited and his workplace to identify any close contacts and high risk individuals. As of 5pm today, a total of 100 individuals who stayed in the same clinic with the patient and 162 relevant staff at his workplace were identified as close contacts. The CHP had set up a health booth today from 3pm to 8pm at the airport to provide assessment and vaccination for close contacts working at the airport. The health booth will continue to operate from 9am to 6pm tomorrow (April 19) and April 20. The CHP has inspected the environment at the patient's workplace at the airport and given health advice on site today. The CHP will continue to put the close contacts under medical surveillance.
The CHP will continue to investigate and follow up on the case.
"Measles outbreaks are currently occurring in many regions around the world. North America (including the United States, Canada and Mexico) and Southeast Asia (including Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines) have seen persistent measles outbreaks in recent years due to low vaccination coverage rates. In the first three months of this year, about 1 700 cases have been recorded in the United States, a figure far higher than during the same period last year. In Europe, the number of measles cases in the United Kingdom and Italy has increased recently, with 371 and 84 cases recorded respectively since January this year. In Asia, the incidence of measles remains high in the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia. Japan has also seen a substantial rise in cases this year, with 236 cases recorded as of the end of March, which is higher than in the same period for the past six years. Singapore and Australia have reported 27 and 89 measles cases respectively this year, also higher than in the same period last year. Most of the overseas cases have affected people who were not vaccinated against measles or had an unknown vaccination status, which highlights the importance of maintaining a high vaccination rate and herd immunity within the community," said the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui.
In response to the global rise in measles cases and the risk of imported cases, the CHP has sent a letter to all doctors in Hong Kong to inform them of the latest situation regarding measles and urged them to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases. At the same time, the CHP has also sent letters to foreign domestic helper agencies and the aviation industry, encouraging foreign domestic helpers and airport staff to receive the measles vaccine to protect their health and prevent the spread of the virus in the community.
The incubation period of measles (i.e. the time from infection to onset of illness) is seven to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes. If travellers returning from places with high incidence or outbreak of measles develop symptoms of measles (e.g. fever and rash), they should seek medical advice immediately and avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially pregnant women and infants under one year old. They should also report their symptoms and prior travel history to healthcare workers so that appropriate infection control measures can be implemented at the healthcare facilities to prevent any potential spread.
"Under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, the overall immunisation coverage in Hong Kong has been maintained at a very high level through the immunisation services provided by the DH's Maternal and Child Health Centres and School Immunisation Teams. As evidenced by the findings on vaccination coverage of primary school students and the territory-wide immunisation surveys conducted regularly by the DH, the two-dose measles vaccination coverage has remained consistently high, well above 95 per cent, and the local seroprevalence rates of measles virus antibodies reflect that most people in Hong Kong are immune to measles. However, Hong Kong, as a city with a high volume of international travel, still faces the potential risk of importation of the measles virus and its further spread in the local community. Hence, a small number of people who have not completed a measles vaccination (such as non-local-born people including new immigrants, foreign domestic helpers, overseas employees and people coming to Hong Kong for further studies) are still at risk of being infected and spreading measles to other people who do not have immunity against measles, such as children under 1 year old who have not yet received the first dose of the measles vaccine," Dr Tsui said.
People born before 1967 could be considered to have acquired immunity to measles through natural infection, as measles was endemic in many parts of the world and in Hong Kong at that time. People born in or after 1967 who have not yet completed the two doses of measles vaccination, or whose measles vaccination history is unknown, should consult their family doctors as soon as possible to complete the vaccination and ensure adequate protection against measles.
Besides being vaccinated against measles, members of the public should take the following measures to prevent infection:
- Maintain good personal and environmental hygiene;
- Maintain good indoor ventilation;
- Keep hands clean and wash hands properly;
- Wash hands when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions, such as after sneezing;
- Cover the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharge properly;
- Clean used toys and furniture properly; and
- Persons with measles should be kept out of school till four days from the appearance of a rash to prevent the spread of the infection to non-immune persons in school.
For more information on measles, the public may visit the CHP'smeasles thematic page. Members of the public who are going to travel can visit the website of the DH'sTravel Health Servicefor news of measles outbreaks outside Hong Kong.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (April 18) is investigating a local measles case epidemiological linked to earlier measles case. Photo shows a CHP staff inspecting the environment at the patient’s workplace at the airport. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (April 18) is investigating a local measles case epidemiological linked to earlier measles case. Photo shows a CHP staff conducting assessment and vaccination for a close contact working at the airport. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Government responds to Ombudsman's direct investigation report on private man-made slopes
In response to the direct investigation report published by the Office of The Ombudsman (the Ombudsman) today (June 29), the Lands Department (LandsD), the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), and the Buildings Department (BD) expressed gratitude to the Ombudsman for its detailed review of the Government's work regarding the determination of slope maintenance responsibilities and the risk management of private man-made slopes, and accepted all the recommendations therein. In response to the observations and recommendations made by the Ombudsman during the investigation process, the three departments had earlier proactively introduced and implemented a number of improvement measures. They will further strengthen the safety management of private man-made slopes through four key areas: maintenance responsibility determination, safety screening, enforcement and rectification, and inter-departmental collaboration.
There are about 61000 man-made slopes in Hong Kong, of which about 16000 are private man-made slopes, and over 6000 are slopes with mixed maintenance responsibilities (i.e., slopes managed by both the Government and private owners for their respective portions). As noted by the Ombudsman in the report, regular inspection and maintenance of private man-made slopes are the responsibility of the owners, while the Government primarily implements slope management work through three departments. First, the LandsD is responsible for determining maintenance responsibilities. Second, the CEDD conducts safety screening and identifies dangerous slopes. Third, the BD takes enforcement actions to rectify hazards, including issuing Dangerous Hillside Orders for dangerous slopes or executing default works on behalf of owners.
The three departments have taken proactive steps over the past period to execute concrete measures and have so far addressed most of the improvement recommendations in the report. The follow-up actions on the Ombudsman's major recommendations include:
Clarifying maintenance responsibility early and informing owners proactively
To enable private owners to fulfil their slope maintenance responsibilities as early as possible, the LandsD has implemented various measures to expedite processes, including streamlining determination procedures, enhancing communication and information sharing with relevant departments, setting target processing time for cases of varying complexity, and strengthening the monitoring on consultancy firms. Since the second half of 2025, the determination of maintenance responsibility for man-made slopes newly formed or modified could generally be completed within six months, demonstrating a significant improvement in efficiency. In addition to uploading determination results to the Slope Maintenance Responsibility Information System, the LandsD will notify private owners concerned promptly. For cases already been determined, the LandsD will issue notification letters to private owners concerned by batches, with the first batch expected to be issued by phases starting from the second half of the year.
Enhancing safety screening studies and strengthening owner education and support
Starting from 2025, the CEDD is progressively increasing the number of safety screening studies for private slopes from 100 to 130 per year over a three-year period. The department will also launch the Smart Slope Catalogue within this year. This catalogue integrates records of preventive works, maintenance, rainfall, and landslides, and applies Artificial Intelligence for big data analysis to select slopes for safety screening studies with higher precision. Furthermore, the department will step up public education and technical support for owners. For example, for slopes that are not classified as dangerous after screening studies but show signs of inadequate maintenance, the CEDD will issue advisory letters to owners as appropriate, pointing out specific issues and providing advisory services, including necessary maintenance recommendations, to embody the management philosophy of prevention first.
Accelerating the issuance of repair orders and follow-up on compliance
For cases that are clear in nature and relatively simple, the BD has shortened the target time for issuing repair orders to three months. If a slope is found to pose an imminent danger, the BD will immediately arrange for government contractors to carry out emergency works. To assist owners in complying with repair orders, after issuing a repair order, the BD will proactively arrange site inspections with owners to provide explanations, attend owners' meetings to offer technical advice, and introduce financial support schemes such as the Building Safety Loan Scheme. These measures ensure that case follow-up would not be a one-way punitive process, but rather a comprehensive approach combining guidance and assistance. For cases where compliance is overdue, the Department has, since the end of last year, used its departmental information system to automatically generate reminder and warning letters, thereby enhancing enforcement efficiency. The BD has also streamlined its prosecution procedures, with internal guidelines clearly stipulating the criteria for further prosecution and target processing time. The Development Bureau has also proposed amendments to the Buildings Ordinance to increase penalties for non-compliance, and plans to submit a bill to the Legislative Council for consideration by the end of this year.
Enhancing mechanism for effective handling of complex cases
The BD has established various committees to monitor the progress of outstanding repair orders and default works carried out on behalf of owners, as well as the performance of consultancy firms and government contractors. The BD is currently exploring ways to optimise the Building Condition Information System to enable classification of complex cases through the system, with progress monitored via regular meetings and various committees. Staff have also been reminded to deploy social worker teams in a timely manner to assist owners in need. The BD will continue to work with the CEDD and LandsD to establish a regular mechanism for information sharing and follow-up, and will discuss follow-up actions at co-ordination meetings. Furthermore, the BD will compile a list of frequently encountered issues and difficulties in complex cases to enhance communication with industry practitioners and improve the efficiency of the approval process.
Accelerating the completion of default works
For cases of non-compliance with no substantive progress, the BD will, while taking prosecution action, arrange default works for slopes with immediate safety risks. Through proactive intervention by the BD, the number of default works cases has significantly increased from 22 in 2023 to 40 in 2024 and 66 in 2025. Over the past five years, default works have been completed for more than 150 repair orders, with full cost recovery from the owners.
Streamlining permission applications for works on government land
For cases where the BD has to enter a government land to carry out default works on private man-made slopes, the LandsD has streamlined procedures by granting the Simplified Temporary Government Land Allocation to the BD by way of block approval, eliminating the need to submit individual applications for each default works project, so that the default works could be carried out as early as possible. Between May 2025 and March 2026, 18 default works projects were accelerated under this measure.
The LandsD is also liaising with the BD to optimise the handling procedures for owners and their appointed professionals to enter government land to carry out works. The LandsD plans to introduce new arrangements, such as providing the application form and guidelines to owners at the time when they have been issued with a Dangerous Hillside Order, so that the repair works on private slopes can be commenced as soon as possible.
Strengthening inter-departmental collaboration
The LandsD has joined the high-level working group and regular meeting mechanisms previously established by the CEDD and BD to strengthen tripartite collaboration, swiftly resolve complex cases and disputes over rights and responsibilities, and ensure that essential slope repairs or emergency works are not delayed by such disputes. The LandsD established a new inter-departmental online platform in December 2025, enabling departments to exchange views in real-time on the content of determination reports after these being uploaded by consultancy firms, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency. The departments will also continue to co-operate with the property management industry. Apart from encouraging property management companies to help owners co-ordinate slope maintenance and comply with Dangerous Hillside Orders, they will organise briefing sessions on technical guidelines, seminars, and exhibitions to strengthen public education and professional support.
The LandsD, CEDD, and BD will continuously review the operation of the entire private man-made slope safety management system, from maintenance responsibility determination to risk screening, and then to enforcement and rectification, strengthening inter-departmental collaboration to elevate the safety level of private man-made slopes and safeguard public safety.
Source: AI-found images
