DH announces latest situation regarding Legionnaires' disease case
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (April 27) 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 April 19 to 25, the CHP recorded four community-acquired and one imported LD case. The details are as follows:
Community-acquired cases
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a 54-year-old male with good past health living in Kwai Tsing District;
a 63-year-old male with underlying illnesses living in Tuen Mun District;
a 72-year-old male with underlying illnesses living in Central and Western District; and
a 74-year-old male with good past health living in Sha Tin District.
Imported case
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a 72-year-old male with underlying illnesses who travelled to the Chinese Mainland during the incubation period. An initial investigation revealedan epidemiological link between the patient andthe case involving a 69-year-old female announced last week. They joined a tour group to Hunan from April 3 to 7 and developed symptoms on April 9 and 11 respectively. Since they had no other common exposure history in Hong Kong, the CHP believed that they were infected during the trip and classified them as imported cases. Upon receiving the notification of the first case on April 15, the CHP proactively contacted individuals who joined the same tour group to offer health assessments and medical surveillance. Apart from the abovementioned two cases, no other tour members have been found to have contracted LD so far. The CHP has reported the case to the health authorities on the Chinese Mainland and informed the Travel Industry Authority in Hong Kong.
The CHP is conducting epidemiological investigations to identify the potential sources of infection and high-risk exposure.
As of April 25, 36 LD cases had been recorded this year. In 2025 and 2024, there were 167 and 135 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'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.
Additionally, as smokers and alcoholics are more susceptible to LD, the Government urgesmembers of the public to quit smoking and avoid drinking. Members of the public may call the DH Integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline at 1833 183, which is answered by registered nurses who provide professional counselling and referral to a wide range of free smoking cessation services. The public may also visit the smoking cessation thematic website (www.livetobaccofree.hk) for more information on smoking cessation. The DH has also developed and promulgated the Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention tool to primary healthcare service providers to facilitate the early identification and management of at-risk drinkers. For information on alcohol-related harm, please visit the DH'sChange for Health website.
Source: AI-found images
FEHD continues to strengthen regulation of life-saving attendants at private swimming pools to enhance management and monitoring standards
A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (April 27) that, to safeguard the safety of swimming pool users, the department will continue to implement regulatory measures for life-saving attendants at private swimming pools this summer, and will further strengthen related management and monitoring work.
Since May 2025, the FEHD has implemented a series of enhancement measures, including stepping up surprise inspections, clearly stipulating the responsibility of licensees to verify the qualifications of life-saving attendants, introducing a tiered penalty mechanism, and strengthening collaboration with relevant organisations. In 2025, the department had conducted about 11 000 inspections of over 1 400 licensed private swimming pools across the territory, and had verified the qualifications of more than 5 000 life-saving attendants through the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society (HKCLSS). One case involving suspected use of a fraudulent life-saving attendant certificate was identified. The FEHD had reported the case to the Police and initiated two prosecutions against the swimming pool licensee concerned for failing to provide a sufficient number of qualified life-saving attendants during pool opening hours on two occasions. In addition, the FEHD initiated two prosecutions against the licensees of two other premises for failing to provide a sufficient number of qualified life-saving attendants. The licensees concerned in the above four cases were subsequently convicted at the magistrate's courts for contravening the Swimming Pools Regulation (Section 12 of Cap. 132CA).
The spokesman stressed, "Swimming pool licensees must strictly comply with the Regulation (Cap. 132CA) and the licensing conditions, ensuring that sufficient qualified life-saving attendants are on duty during the opening hours of the pool. The FEHD will continue to implement various regulatory measures, including stepping up surprise inspections and increasing the frequency of spot checks during the peak swimming season."
Under the existing penalty mechanism, if a licensee is found twice within a year to have insufficient qualified life-saving attendants on duty during the opening hours of the swimming pool, the FEHD will consider suspending its licence for six months and require the licensee to report the situation to relevant persons such as the Owners' Corporation. In case three violations are recorded within a year, the licence may be cancelled, and the licensee or related persons will not be allowed to apply for a swimming pool licence in respect of the same location within 12 months.
To ensure that licensees fulfil their responsibilities properly, the FEHD will explicitly require them through licensing conditions to verify the identity documents of life-saving attendants before employment, and to keep copies of their Pool Lifeguard Awards and personal logbooks on proper record. The FEHD has also established a standard template of life-saving attendants' duty records. Licensees are required to clearly record the relevant information of life-saving attendants on duty in accordance with the prescribed format, and the records have to be verified and signed by both the inspecting staff assigned by the licensees and the life-saving attendants. FEHD officers will check the relevant records as necessary during inspections or complaint investigations, and will follow up on any violations.
In addition, the FEHD will continue to maintain close collaboration with relevant organisations and regulatory bodies to enhance compliance with the regulatory measures. This includes sustaining close liaison with the HKCLSS and making good use of its mechanism for verifying life-saving attendants' qualifications, and strengthening co-operation with the Property Management Services Authority to require property management companies to exercise strict gatekeeping over the recruitment procedures of life-saving attendants.
The spokesman said that the FEHD will continue to review the effectiveness of the measures and appealed to members of the public to assist in monitoring by reporting suspected irregularities to the department. The FEHD looks forward to further collaboration with the trade to jointly uphold high standards of swimming pool management and monitoring, thereby effectively safeguarding the safety of swimming pool users.
Source: AI-found images
