Measles outbreak could be triggered in Hong Kong by small number of people who are not vaccinated, HKU professor says

The claim was made as the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa on Monday declared its measles outbreak over. Some 99 people were infected during the four-month outbreak, with about 5,500 tourists, including hundreds from Hong Kong, cancelling trips to the popular destination.

Professor Malik Peiris, chair of virology at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, said: “The measles vaccine is 95 per cent effective but there is still a small minority whose immunity may be weak or does not last long enough. Parents should make sure that their children are vaccinated against measles.”

The Centre for Health Protection urged anyone born before 1990, especially those not born in Hong Kong and who were unsure of their vaccine history, to get a dose ahead of their summer holiday.

Peiris blamed complacency by parents on the outbreak in Okinawa. Over the last 30 years, “the disease has been controlled and parents did not know what measles was as there had been no outbreak,” he said.