Imported Chikungunya cases unlikely to be endemic
Dr Albert Au says any Chikungunya cases will bring contact tracing, blood tests and mosquito elimination work in possible infection areas. Photo: RTHK
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Thursday that there is a "moderate to high risk" that imported cases of Chikungunya fever will give rise to local transmission in some places in Hong Kong.
Speaking on an RTHK radio show, the head of the communicable disease branch, Dr Alert Au, noted that there have been about 6,100 cases in Guangdong, about 90 percent of which were recorded in Foshan.
The transmissibility of Chikungunya fever is even higher than dengue fever, Au said, and its incubation period is relatively short.
While the SAR has not recorded any imported cases, Au said the CHP is on high alert.
"Hongkongers like to go to Guangdong very much," he said.
"Once there is frequent travel, we think there is quite a high risk of imported cases."
"Also, as it's now summer in Hong Kong, even though the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department's (FEHD) index measuring mosquito breeding has shown improvements compared to last year, but because of summer, the mosquito problem might have worsened than in previous months."
"So if there are imported cases, there is a moderate to high risk that it will lead to local transmission in some places or the emergence of local cases."
However, Au went on to say that there is an "extremely low" chance that any imported Chikungunya cases will become endemic as the mosquito-borne disease is a statutory notifiable disease.
Once the CHP is notified of any Chikungunya fever cases, Au said it will take measures, such as contact tracing, arranging blood tests, and have the FEHD carry out mosquito elimination work in areas within a 250-metre radius of places that a patient has gone to, in order to prevent the disease from spreading.
Au stressed the virus will not spread from person to person.
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