CHP Investigates Imported Measles Case, Offers Free Vaccinations to Airport Staff

2026-04-24 20:10 Last Updated At：04-25 13:01

CHP investigates imported measles case and starts providing free measles vaccinations to eligible airport staff

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (April 24) is investigating an imported measles case. Initial investigation revealed that the patient had no contact with any previously recorded local or imported cases in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the CHP began providing free measles vaccinations today at the airport for eligible airport staff to strengthen herd immunity within the airport community, safeguard public health and prevent the spread of the virus. As of 6pm today, the CHP had administered measles vaccines to approximately 75 airport staff.

Details of imported measles case

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The case involves a 31-year-old female with good past health. She has developed a fever and muscle aches since April 19, followed by a rash on April 22. She attended a private clinic on the same day and was referred to the Accident and Emergency Department of North Lantau Hospital. The CHP subsequently arranged for her admission to Princess Margaret Hospital for isolation and treatment. Her clinical specimen was tested positive for the measles virus upon nucleic acid testing. The patient remains hospitalised with mild symptoms and is in stable condition.

The CHP's epidemiological investigation revealed that the patient travelled to Vietnam with family and friends during the incubation period (between April 9 and 12). Since there is currently a measles outbreak in Vietnam and the patient had no contact with anyone infected with measles in Hong Kong, the case is classified as imported.

An initial investigation revealed that the patient was not born in Hong Kong, but according to the information she provided, she had received measles vaccines in her country of birth. She is a flight attendant but has no connection to the earlier airport cluster of cases. She had no contact with any aircraft maintenance personnel, and her workplace does not overlap with any of the airport cases. She did not go to work during her infectious period (i.e. since April 18) and had no contact with passengers or colleagues. She has one household contact, and travelled to Vietnam with 10 other relatives and friends. The CHP has contacted the private clinic the patient visited to identify close contacts and assess whether any high-risk individuals were involved. Currently, 27 individuals who stayed in the same clinic with the patient during the same time period were identified as close contacts. None of these individuals has any symptoms. The CHP will put them under medical surveillance and continue to investigate this imported case.

Measles vaccination booth at airport begins operation

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Currently, measles outbreaks continue to occur worldwide. Given that airport staff frequently come into contact with large numbers of travellers and that a higher proportion of employees in the airport community are not born locally and may not have received the measles vaccine during childhood, the risk of measles transmission is relatively high. During the investigation into the recent cluster involving three airport backend support staff, the CHP found that approximately 30 per cent of the airport staff, especially those who were not born in Hong Kong, were unsure whether they had completed the two-dose measles vaccination series. In order to prevent another measles outbreak among airport staff, the CHP has set up a vaccination booth at the airport starting today to provide local airport staff with free measles vaccination. Under the coordination of the CHP and the Airport Authority Hong Kong, approximately 75 eligible airport staff received vaccinations in an orderly manner today.

The CHP urged all airport staff, especially those non-locally born people, to review their vaccination records as soon as possible. The measles vaccination service targets Hong Kong airport staff who have not received two doses of the measles vaccine and have never had measles. If a Hong Kong airport employee has undergone a blood test confirming a positive reaction to measles antibodies (IgG), vaccination is not required.

Taking into account the vaccinations administered last week by the CHP to contacts working at the airport who were linked to the aforementioned cluster of measles cases, a cumulative total of over 430 airport staff have now received measles vaccinations. So far, no secondary transmission among close contacts of the measles cluster has been detected. The CHP will continue to investigate and follow up on the abovementioned measles cluster, and conduct medical surveillance of close contacts.

In 2019, Hong Kong International Airport experienced a measles outbreak involving airport staff. To control the outbreak at that time, the CHP arranged a one-off measles vaccination for airport staff to strengthen herd immunity within the airport community, safeguard public health and prevent the spread of the virus.

Non-airport staff should also review their vaccination records

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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, since measles outbreaks are currently occurring in many regions around the world, 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. A small number of people who have not completed a measles vaccination (such as non-locally 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.

In response to the global rise in measles cases and the risk of imported cases, the CHP sent a letter to all doctors in Hong Kong earlier, informing them of the latest situation regarding measles and urging them to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases. In addition to the airport industry mentioned above, the CHP has also sent a letter to foreign domestic helper agencies earlier, encouraging foreign domestic helpers 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 a high incidence or an 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 1 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.

The Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme introduced a measles vaccine for the first time in 1967. Since then, the incidence of measles has gradually decreased. People born and raised in Hong Kong before 1967 can be considered to have acquired immunity to measles through natural infection, as measles was endemic in Hong Kong at that time. People born in Hong Kong 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 untilfour 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's measles thematic page. Members of the public who are going to travel can visit the website of the DH's Travel Health Service for news of measles outbreaks outside Hong Kong.

FEHD Releases May Gravidtrap Indexes for Aedes Albopictus, Highlights Areas of Concern and Control Measures.

FEHD releases fourth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in May

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (May 21) released the fourth batch of gravidtrap indexes and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in May, covering 12 survey areas, as follows:

District

Survey Area

May 2026

First Phase Gravidtrap Index

First Phase Density Index

Eastern

Shau Kei Wan and Sai Wan Ho

9.1%

1.4

Islands

Tung Chung

2.0%

1.0

Kowloon City

Hung Hom and To Kwa Wan

6.7%

1.5

Tai Po

Tai Po East

2.2%

2.0

Tai Po West

15.5%

1.0

Tuen Mun

Tuen Mun South

9.1%

1.4

District

Survey Area

May 2026

Area Gravidtrap Index

Area Density Index

Central and Western

Kennedy Town and Shek Tong Tsui

16.8%

1.3

Eastern

Chai Wan

15.4%

1.0

North Point and Quarry Bay

18.9%

1.4

Southern

Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau

20.8%

1.7

Sha Tin

Sha Tin Town Centre and Fo Tan

18.3%

1.4

Tsuen Wan

Tsuen Wan Town

6.9%

2.3

The fourth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in May includes First Phase Gravidtrap Indexes covering six survey areas and Area Gravidtrap Indexes covering six survey areas. Among which, six survey areas recorded gravidtrap indexes above 10 per cent, while Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau in Southern District recorded a gravidtrap index above 20 per cent. Meanwhile, the gravidtrap indexes of six survey areas, namely Kennedy Town and Shek Tong Tsui in Central and Western District; North Point and Quarry Bay in Eastern District; Shau Kei Wan and Sai Wan Ho in Eastern District; Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau in Southern District; Tai Po East in Tai Po District; and Tuen Mun South in Tuen Mun District, have recorded a decrease as compared to the indexes recorded in the last survey period, reflecting the progress of relevant mosquito control work.

With reference to the data from the past few years, the gravidtrap indexes start to rise from April or May every year. The actual timing and extent of the rise are affected by factors like weather conditions and rainfall. The average temperature and rainfall recorded in April this year were higher than those in the same period last year, creating favourable conditions for mosquito growth and breeding. As a result, the rise in gravidtrap indexes occurred earlier this year. With the increase in rainfall in May, the gravidtrap indexes are expected to rise further.

For survey areas which recorded indexes exceeding 10 per cent, in accordance with the mechanism implemented by the FEHD in response to the chikungunya fever (CF) situation (i.e. strengthening mosquito control work in areas with a gravidtrap index between 10 per cent and 20 per cent, instead of 20 per cent or above under the original mechanism), the FEHD is collaborating with relevant departments and stakeholders to identify locations with high mosquito infestations and carry out intensive and targeted mosquito control measures. The FEHD has initiated two prosecutions against the relevant construction site contractors following the discovery of mosquito breeding at construction sites in Tai Po District and Southern District. Moreover, following the discovery of stagnant water or stagnant water containers in a park, a construction site, a private housing estate, a clinic and a private premises in Tai Po District, Central and Western District, as well as Southern District, the FEHD has issued five statutory notices to the responsible persons-in-charge, requiring the clearance of such items within a specified timeframe. The FEHD, the relevant departments and stakeholders are following up on the mosquito control work, and will also organise exhibitions, distribute leaflets and posters, and notify residential estates that have subscribed to the gravidtrap Rapid Alert System, advising property management agents and residents to stay vigilant and work together in taking mosquito prevention and elimination measures. In addition, the FEHD will strengthen the monitoring of the gravidtrap index in the areas to review the effectiveness of the mosquito control work.

Public participation is crucial to the effective control of mosquito problems. The FEHD appeals to members of the public to continue to work together in strengthening personal mosquito control measures, including:

tidy up their premises and check for any accumulation of water inside the premises;

remove all unnecessary water collections and eliminate the sources;

check household items (those placed in outdoor and open areas in particular), such as refuse containers, vases, air conditioner drip trays, and laundry racks to prevent stagnant water;

change water in flower vases and scrub their inner surfaces thoroughly, and remove water in saucers under potted plants at least once a week;

properly cover all containers that hold water to prevent mosquitoes from accessing the water;

properly dispose of articles that can contain water, such as disposable meal boxes and empty cans; and

scrub drains and surface sewers with alkaline detergent at least once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.

Starting in August 2025, following the completion of the surveillance of individual survey areas, and once the latest gravidtrap index and the density index are available, the FEHD has been disseminating relevant information through press releases, its website and social media. It aims to allow members of the public to quickly grasp the mosquito infestation situation and strengthen mosquito control efforts, thereby reducing the risk of CF transmission.

Following recommendations from the World Health Organization and taking into account the local situation in Hong Kong, the FEHD sets up gravidtraps in districts where mosquito-borne diseases have been recorded in the past, as well as in densely populated places such as housing estates, hospitals and schools to monitor the breeding and distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit CF and dengue fever. At present, the FEHD has set up gravidtraps in 62 survey areas of the community, with a surveillance period of two weeks. During the surveillance period, the FEHD will collect the gravidtraps once a week. After the first week of surveillance, the FEHD will immediately examine the glue boards inside the retrieved gravidtraps for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes to compile the Gravidtrap Index (First Phase) and Density Index (First Phase). At the end of the second week of surveillance, the FEHD will instantly check the glue boards for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes. Data from the two weeks of surveillance will be combined to obtain the Area Gravidtrap Index and the Area Density Index. The gravidtrap and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas, as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures, are available on the department's webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/dengue_fever/Dengue_Fever_Gravidtrap_Index_Update.html#).

CHP Investigates Imported Measles Case, Offers Free Vaccinations to Airport Staff

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CHP Investigates Imported Measles Case, Offers Free Vaccinations to Airport Staff

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