Only one in four Hong Kong people who travel abroad take proper precautions against mosquito-borne infections, according to a survey by the Society for Infectious Diseases.
The survey found nearly 90 per cent of respondents had travelled to the mainland or Macau in the past year, while more than half travelled to Southeast Asian countries.
However, 75 per cent did not take precautions against mosquito stings and only 34 per cent took the danger of mosquito stings seriously. Society spokesman Andrew Wong Tin-yau said yesterday that mosquito-borne infections such as dengue fever and malaria were common in Southeast Asia.
He said spraying mosquito repellant, burning mosquito coils and wearing long sleeves could help prevent more than 90 per cent of stings.
Dr Wong said clinical experiences showed Hong Kong travellers were concerned more about food-borne diseases such as cholera, possibly due to more public education and wider press coverage of the cases.
The Department of Health recorded 31 dengue cases and 90 malaria cases since 2000, with all being imported. Dengue fever hit Macau last year, with 1,502 confirmed cases.
