Hong Kong to list monkeypox as statutory notifiable disease next week, with 3-tier response plan
- Officials also preparing to buy vaccines and medicines to combat disease, formulating treatment plans
- Doctors are required to report any suspected or confirmed case of monkeypox to the Centre for Health Protection under new arrangement
Monkeypox will be listed as a statutory notifiable disease in Hong Kong next week, the government has said, along with a three-tier response plan targeting the infection.
Officials are also preparing to purchase vaccines and medicines for the infection, and are formulating recommendations on treatment.
The city has yet to record any case of monkeypox despite a growing spread of the disease globally. So far, at least 23 non-endemic countries have reported cases of the infection which used to occur primarily in central and western Africa.
“In order to address the potential risk posed by monkeypox to Hong Kong, the government will include monkeypox as a statutorily notifiable infectious disease,” an official press release stated on Wednesday. “The government will publish a notice in the Gazette next week … the notice will take effect on the same day.”
It is unclear which day next week the new rule will come into effect.
Under the new arrangement, doctors are required to report any suspected or confirmed case of monkeypox to the Centre for Health Protection, as stipulated by the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance.
A response plan in case of emergence or outbreak of monkeypox in Hong Kong is also being drawn up. Officials will announce details of the three-tier response plan and levels of alert next week.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the public health risk posed by monkeypox at a global level was “moderate”, but warned that it could escalate to “high” if the virus spread to groups at higher risk of severe diseases such as young children and people with weak immunity.