CHP investigates two confirmed Mpox cases and recommends high-risk target groups to receive Mpox vaccination
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) said today (September 18) that it is investigating two confirmed Mpox (also known as Monkeypox) cases. Due to the recent increase in Mpox cases, the CHP strongly urged individuals who have engaged in high-risk sexual contact, particularly with strangers, to remain vigilant and take appropriate personal protective measures, including receiving the Mpox vaccination, and avoid close physical contact with anyone suspected of having contracted Mpox. Moreover, unsafe sexual contact can increase the risk of infection. The CHP has stepped up public education and outreach efforts, including setting up an Mpox hotline (2125 2373) to provide health assessments and advice to people concerned, strengthening Mpox prevention and control campaigns on social media platforms, and sending a letter to doctors across Hong Kong reminding them to immediately notify the CHP of suspected Mpox cases for follow-up.
Case details
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The first new case involves a 28-year-old man who developed rashes over his body starting on September 9, including genital organs, forearm, abdomen and face. He sought medical attention at a social hygiene service clinic (SocHS) under the DH on September 15 and was arranged to receive isolation treatment at Princess Margaret Hospital.
The other new case involves a 26-year-old man who developed a fever, sore throat, myalgia, fatigue and lymphadenopathy on August 30. Subsequently, a rash appeared in various parts of his body, including his genital organs, chest and limbs. As his symptoms persisted, he respectively sought medical attention on September 8 and 15. The CHP subsequently arranged him to receive isolation treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Upon laboratory testing by the CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch, the two individuals' clinical specimens tested positive for the monkeypox virus, and are in stable condition.
According to information provided by the two patients, both have had high-risk contact with other men respectively in Hong Kong during the incubation period.
No epidemiological linkages between these two cases, nor with other confirmed Mpox cases recorded earlier in Hong Kong, have been identified so far. The CHP is conducting epidemiological investigations of the two cases, and will endeavour to contact individuals who had high-risk contact with them. The CHP will also report these two cases to the World Health Organization.
Since 2022, Hong Kong has recorded a total of 109 Mpox cases (87 local cases and 22 imported cases), including the above-mentioned cases. All patients were males. Since this August, the number of Mpox cases in Hong Kong has seen an increase. As of today, 25 cases have been recorded this year, including 20 local cases and five imported cases. Among them, 16 are new cases reported since August. Epidemiological investigations showed that among the 16 recently identified cases, all patients reported having sexual activities with men. No epidemiological links were found between the cases. All patients reported engaging in high-risk sexual behaviours during the incubation period, including having sex with male strangers or having sex without a condom. In 10 of these cases, patients reported using dating apps to find sexual partners.
Stepping up public education
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Epidemiological analysis shows that high-risk sexual contact between males (including having sex with unknown men or multiple partners without using condoms) is a risk factor for Mpox infection. The CHP urges people who have engaged in high-risk sexual contact to seek medical attention immediately if they develop symptoms associated with Mpox, such as a rash, fever or swollen lymph nodes. The CHP has set up an Mpox hotline (2125 2373) to provide health assessments and advice to people concerned, which operates daily from 9am to 6pm.
The CHP also stepped up its Mpox prevention and control outreach on social media platforms (including dating apps), and will further coordinate and communicate with relevant non-governmental organisations to strengthen health promotion efforts for Mpox prevention among target groups.
Getting vaccinated to prevent Mpox
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The Mpox vaccine can prevent infection and severe disease. The DH provides Mpox vaccination services for high-risk groups. The following high-risk target groups are eligible for Mpox vaccinations on a voluntary basis:
- individuals with high-risk sexual practices, e.g. having multiple sexual partners, sex workers, or having a history of sexually transmitted infection within the past 12 months;
- healthcare workers responsible for caring for patients with confirmed Mpox;
- laboratory personnel handling zoonotic pox viruses; and
- animal care personnel with high risk of exposure in case of Mpox occurrences in animals in Hong Kong.
High-risk target groups can receive Mpox walk-in vaccinations at any of the DH's SocHS (namely Chai Wan SocHS, Wan Chai Male SocHS, Wan Chai Female SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Male SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Female SocHS, Yung Fung Shee SocHS, Fanling SocHS and Tuen Mun SocHS) and the DH's Yau Ma Tei Integrated Treatment Centre, without prior appointments.
Meanwhile, the DH's Kowloon Bay Integrated Treatment Centre and the Hospital Authority's Special Medical Clinics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital also provide Mpox vaccination services for their clients.
Mpox is not transmitted through respiratory droplets or aerosols in general, and transmission would not occur through social contact. The CHP reminds the public, especially those at higher risks of exposure, to take precautions and avoid close physical contact with persons or animals suspected of being infected. They should seek medical attention as soon as possible if they experience relevant symptoms, including rash, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle pain, and severe headaches. They should not engage in activities with others that may involve contact with skin rash or body fluids.
For more details, please visit the CHP's webpages onMpoxandMpox Vaccination Programme.
Source: AI-found images
Government announces Report on Ageing Society Strategies
The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration (DCS), MrCheukWing-hing, joined by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare (SLW), Mr Chris Sun, and the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, held a press conference today (September 18) to announce the Report on Ageing Society Strategies (the Report) (see attachment).
Mr Cheuk said, "Hong Kong's society continues to age. It is projected that by 2046, the population aged 65 and above in Hong Kong will increase to 2.74 million, accounting for more than one-third of the total population. By then, approximately one in three Hong Kong residents will be an elder. In view of the challenges brought by an ageing society, the Government and all sectors of society must plan ahead. Since its establishment in November last year, the Working Group on Ageing Society Strategies (the Working Group) has comprehensively reviewed and explored the policies and measures of various bureaux in response to our ageing society, and has submitted the Report to the Chief Executive. The Report puts forward 73 strategic measures, including innovative and new measures as well as enhanced measures, representing the collective effort of cross-departmental collaboration to address the challenges brought by an ageing society."
The strategic measures cover 11 areas, including elderly health care; elderly residential care services; cross-boundary elderly care; elderly community and living support; leveraging technology for "smart ageing"; elderly-friendly urban planning and design; elderly travel, social life and learning; elderly financial security and safety; human resources and public finances; silver economy, industries and opportunities; as well as after-death planning and related services. These multipronged strategic measures not only cater to the needs of the elderly across different aspects, but also comprehensively tackle the challenges spawned by an aging society.
Among the measures put forward in the Report, on elderly health care, the Health Bureau (HHB) will strengthen healthcare services, facilities and manpower. It will integrate the services of Elderly Health Centres this year by increasing the number of service points and service capacity, providing more comprehensive health assessments and reducing waiting time with appropriate referrals to the Primary Healthcare Co-care Network for chronic disease management. The HHB will also explore including additional pilot medical institutions under the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme, and facilitate health management and cross-boundary health record sharing through eHealth in an orderly manner. The services of the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong and the Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine Services of the Hospital Authority (HA) will also be enhanced, covering diseases common among the elderly. As regards healthcare facilities and manpower, the HHB will take into consideration the service needs arising from an ageing population when reviewing the Second Hospital Development Plan. Moreover, the HHB has commissioned the HA to carry out a new round of the healthcare manpower projection exercise, under which the supply and demand of healthcare manpower will be assessed taking into account factors such as demographic and age structure shifts (including an ageing society).
For elderly residential care services and community care services, as announced in the Policy Address, the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) will increase the number of subsidised long-term care places for the elderly by around 3500 by end 2027. Moreover, the LWB will provide, on a pilot basis, residential care home for the elderly premises newly built by the Government to the industry for self-financed operation to increase the overall capacity of residential care home places and allow service providers greater flexibility to provide diversified elderly residential care services according to market demands.
Leveraging technology for "smart ageing" is another important aspect. To this end, the LWB will establish the "welfare information sharing e-platform" in phases to integrate social welfare data of relevant government departments and non-governmental organisations, as well as utilise AI to facilitate early identification of high-risk individuals or families, so as to enable timely intervention and targeted response. In addition, the LWB will set up an "AI for Welfare Lab" to identify pain points and difficulties encountered in social welfare services, as well as fund the development and pilot implementation of AI solutions, with a view to promoting their wide adoption across the social welfare sector. This will help enhance service efficiency and quality, improve resource matching, reduce administrative burdens on organisations and bring more precise and efficient support to groups in need. The LWB and the Social Welfare Department will also encourage the social welfare sector to provide services with innovative approaches, such as providing remote care services through online or hybrid modes so as to provide more flexible and sustainable care options for the elderly and their carers. Tentatively, social welfare organisations will test out such arrangements within 2026.
The Government will continue to promote silver economy development. The Office of the Government Economist will analyse the changes in the socio-economic characteristics of the elderly population and consumption patterns, etc, to help formulate silver economy measures in line with market characteristics. In addition, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau will actively expand the certification schemes for elderly products and services and explore with relevant organisations the expansion of the scope of certification to other areas. This includes exploring the formulation of relevant standards for mobility aids, such as walking sticks, wheelchairs and exoskeleton systems, and studying their inclusion in the list of Greater Bay Area Standards.
As the Report is forward-looking, the Government will review and update relevant parts based on the latest circumstances and data. For instance, the LWB will, having regard to the results of the 2026 Population Census, review the planning ratios for elderly facilities in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, together with relevant policy bureaux, will closely monitor the impact of the ageing society on public finances and consider the need to formulate appropriate measures in a timely manner.
Mr Cheuk added that during the course of deliberation, the Working Group held five consultation sessions to widely listen to the views of the Elderly Commission and relevant industry stakeholders. The Working Group thanked all relevant sectors for providing valuable views, which are conducive to the formulation of measures by the Working Group to effectively respond to the needs of society. Policy bureaux and departments will progressively implement these measures. The Government will continue to join hands with all sectors of society to actively address ageing.
The Chief Executive announced in the 2025 Policy Address the establishment of the Working Group, with the DCS as the leader and the SLW as the deputy leader. Members of the Working Group include all 15 policy bureaux and the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit.
The full report is available on the website (www.cso.gov.hk/eng/links/rass.htm).
Government announces Report on Ageing Society Strategies Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Government announces Report on Ageing Society Strategies Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Government announces Report on Ageing Society Strategies Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
