Kwai Tsing District Becomes Chikungunya Fever Concern

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced today that the CHP has recorded a total of 76 confirmed Chikungunya fever (CF) cases this year.

As of December 2, 2025, seven CF cases were local, and the rest were imported. Furthermore, the risk of imported cases persists.

Recently, the CHP also informed approximately 130 primary care doctors in Kwai Tsing District, located north west of Hong Kong, urging them to closely monitor patients with compatible symptoms and arrange blood tests for those concerned. The CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch will provide free virus testing services.

The CHP's media statement confirmed all relevant departments have comprehensively enhanced the mosquito control operations in Hong Kong since July 2025, and this has continued.

Controlling this mosquito-transmitted disease is essential as the symptoms are generally self-limiting and last for a few days, while in some cases, joint pain may persist for several months or even years. Severe symptoms and deaths from Chikungunya are rare and usually related to other coexisting health problems.

Although the northern hemisphere has entered the winter, temperatures in subtropical and some temperate regions remain elevated due to climate change, creating favourable conditions for mosquito breeding and the transmission of viruses, such as Chikungunya.

In addition, CF outbreaks continue to occur in many countries worldwide.

Since the beginning of 2025, and as of September 30, a total of 445,271 suspected and confirmed CF cases and 155 CF-related deaths have been reported in 40 countries/territories. Cases have been reported in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

To alert international travelers departing from the United States, the US CDC has published Level 2 - Practice Enhanced Precautions, Travel Health Advisories for countries in the Indian Ocean and Cuba.

In Florida, over 60 Chikungunya cases have been associated with visitors from Cuba.

The CDC advises travelers to consult a travel vaccine expert about Chikungunya immunization options before visiting these countries in 2025.