Hong Kong activates monkeypox response plan as resident returning from overseas confirmed as city’s first case
- Authorities say man reported feeling unwell while under hotel quarantine and has developed monkeypox symptoms such as a rash
- Patient is a Hongkonger returning from trip to multiple countries, officials add
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection on Tuesday said the city had implemented the first of a three-tier response plan, requiring the government to strengthen health surveillance measures at borders and distribute information about the virus. Even as the government raised its alert level, Chuang stressed monkeypox was transmitted in a very different way to Covid-19.
“We want to be more prudent as this is the first case … but no [flight passengers or hotel staff] need to undergo quarantine as they were not identified as close contacts,” Chuang said.
The Department of Health said the monkeypox patient was a Hong Kong resident who had recently travelled to various parts of the world, including Canada and the United States, where he was suspected to have contracted the disease.
The resident began to exhibit symptoms, such as a rash, swollen lymph nodes and sore throat, from August 30, but flew to the Philippines on September 2 and returned to Hong Kong on Philippine Airlines flight 300 on Monday, according to officials.
He reported feeling unwell on Monday while undergoing quarantine at Ramada Hong Kong Harbour View and was sent to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment, they said, adding he was in stable condition and being isolated.
Chuang said the patient had been involved in some high-risk activities during his travels, without disclosing further details.
Monkeypox vaccine will be available in Hong Kong within the month
Asked what the activities were, Dr Edwin Tsui, the Centre for Health Protection’s controller, said monkeypox was different from Covid-19 in terms of transmission. It required very intimate contact such as sexual behaviour or long-term skin contact.
None of the around 80 passengers or crew aboard flight PR300 were identified as close contacts, but as a preventive measure, health authorities had reached out to them, hotel staff and medical professionals collecting testing samples, reminding them to be vigilant for any changes to their health.
The government would report the case to the World Health Organization (WHO), mainland China authorities, while private and public doctors would also be informed of the case, Chuang said.
In June, Hong Kong set up a three-tier monkeypox response plan to be activated based on risk assessment and the disease’s impact on the community.
At the emergency level, the highest of the three, the Department of Health, Education Bureau and Leisure and Cultural Services Department will assess the need to close schools and public places, stop public gatherings and curtail non-essential activities and services.
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On Friday, health authorities said close contacts of confirmed cases would soon be able to get vaccinated against the disease. The government has also reserved quarantine facilities for them as authorities step up measures to guard against any possible outbreak in the city.
The government added that the first shipment of the jabs would arrive in the city within this month as it was finalising negotiations with a vaccine manufacturer.
The government has also listed monkeypox as a statutory notifiable disease, meaning doctors are required to report suspected or confirmed cases to the Centre for Health Protection.
The World Health Organization has recorded more than 52,000 monkeypox cases, including 18 deaths, after declaring a global health emergency over the disease in late July.
A surge in infections has been reported since early May outside central and Western African countries where it has long been endemic. The five most affected countries globally are the United States, Spain, Brazil, France and Germany, with 18,875 cases recorded in the US.
Monkeypox is a viral disease that can cause symptoms including fever and muscle aches and has a distinctive bumpy rash. Most people fully recover in two to four weeks.
It is not as easily transmitted as the coronavirus that spurred the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Wilson Lam, an infectious disease specialist, said he believed there was a low-risk of a widespread monkeypox outbreak in Hong Kong.
He pointed to the declining number of cases around the world, the slow pace of Hong Kong’s entry restriction relaxation and the disease’s transmission mainly affecting men and those who have sexual contact with other men.
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However, he warned that people outside these groups could still be infected.
“Anyone can be infected through a prolonged form of contact with someone who has monkeypox,” Lam said.
He added that with the limited number of vaccines and current situation, jabs should be reserved for close contacts who have been exposed to the virus.
Residents should not be too concerned if they are infected as most patients can recover on their own, Lam said, with death only occurring in a small number of cases.
