Hong Kong reports 4 imported dengue cases, 1 chikungunya case in latest week
Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection recorded four imported dengue cases and one imported chikungunya case from 23 to 29 October. This year's cumulative dengue total is 40 cases, while chikungunya stands at eight cases. Authorities urge mosquito precautions.
Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) reported four imported dengue fever cases from 23 to 29 October, bringing the city's cumulative total for 2026 to 40 cases. Of these, 38 were imported and two were locally acquired. Three of the latest patients had visited Vietnam during the incubation period, while one had travelled to Malaysia and Singapore.
Last year, Hong Kong recorded 59 dengue cases, all imported, compared with 161 cases in 2024, which included five local infections. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) said dengue incidence has risen sharply over the past two decades, with a record 14 million cases in 2024. Last year, more than 90 countries reported over five million cases and 4,000 deaths. From January to September this year, about 2.5 million cases and over 1,500 deaths were logged worldwide.
Dengue remains prevalent in nearby travel destinations. This year, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam each reported over 100,000 cases; Indonesia over 80,000; India and Malaysia over 70,000; and Singapore over 2,700. Guangdong Province recorded 586 cases as of September, including 155 in September alone, according to the Guangdong Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the same period, CHP confirmed one imported chikungunya case involving a 44-year-old woman who had travelled to mainland China. She was treated in a mosquito-free hospital environment and has been discharged. The case was reported to mainland health authorities. Hong Kong has recorded eight chikungunya cases this year – seven imported and one local – compared with 82 cases last year, of which 11 were local. WHO data shows 502,264 chikungunya cases and 186 deaths across 41 countries last year, spanning the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. Guangdong reported 1,753 cases as of September, with 1,014 in September alone, sharply up from 171 to 496 in July and August.
The CHP reminded the public to maintain environmental hygiene and take mosquito precautions at home and abroad, especially when travelling to Southeast Asia. It recommended using insect repellent containing DEET or other active ingredients, with concentration limits of 30 per cent for adults and 10 per cent for children, or up to 30 per cent for children aged two months or older when visiting affected areas. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department urged residents to eliminate standing water, clean flower vases weekly, and report mosquito breeding sites via hotline 1823.