https://www.scmp.com/rss/500416/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Danny Mok Danny Mok Health authorities will provide free measles vaccinations to Hong Kong airport workers from Friday, following the detection of three cases among aircraft maintenance staff. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) warned on Thursday of the “relatively high” risk of measles transmission at the aviation hub, citing the high volume of travellers passing through there and the sizeable proportion of non-local-born workers who might not have received measles jabs in childhood. “In order to prevent... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3351189/hong-kong-airport-staff-offered-free-measles-jabs-bid-prevent-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3351189/hong-kong-airport-staff-offered-free-measles-jabs-bid-prevent-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:52:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Rocking her baby to soothe his searing pain and gasping breaths, 18-year-old Rubia Akhtar Brishti recounts how her son nearly died in Bangladesh’s deadly measles outbreak. “The boy had [a] high fever and found it hard to breathe,” Brishti said, wiping the fevered brow of one-year-old Minhaz, cradled in her arms. “His whole body had rashes.” At least 143 people have died in the outbreak since March 15, the vast majority children, with more than 12,000 suspected cases – the worst in the South... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349753/vaccine-coverage-gaps-spur-bangladeshs-deadly-measles-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349753/vaccine-coverage-gaps-spur-bangladeshs-deadly-measles-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:18:38 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn Indonesia has launched emergency vaccination drives after measles outbreaks killed more than 20 children in two provinces, stoking fears of a wider epidemic amid a global resurgence of the virus. The scale and speed of the outbreaks have alarmed health experts, who warn the crisis is not simply the result of faltering immunisation coverage, but also a symptom of growing vaccine hesitancy – fuelled by online misinformation, religious concerns and a legacy of public distrust. This erosion of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333411/indonesia-us-and-canada-online-hoaxes-fuel-measles-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333411/indonesia-us-and-canada-online-hoaxes-fuel-measles-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Three healthcare workers rode motorbikes into the Indonesian city of Sumenep, carrying doses of measles vaccine and a list of children who needed them. With blue medical boxes in hand, they went from house to house administering the life-saving shots. The health workers on wheels are part of the regional government’s latest efforts to curb a deadly measles outbreak on Madura Island that has persisted for the past nine months. More than 2,600 children have already been infected this year, and 20... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327064/are-measles-vaccines-halal-indonesians-weigh-religious-concerns-against-childrens-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3327064/are-measles-vaccines-halal-indonesians-weigh-religious-concerns-against-childrens-health?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Sep 2025 01:56:52 +0000 Thomas O. Falk Thomas O. Falk When US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr removed the vaccine advisory panel of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), he framed it as a move for the “restoration of public trust”. But the implications stretch far beyond domestic politics. In dismantling one of the world’s most respected sources of vaccine expertise, the United States is not just undermining its public health, it is ceding global scientific authority to China. Trump’s elevation of figures like Pete Hegseth,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3314065/us-vaccine-sceptics-are-now-charge-thats-bad-news-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3314065/us-vaccine-sceptics-are-now-charge-thats-bad-news-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jun 2025 12:30:07 +0000 The United States is at a tipping point for the return of endemic measles a quarter century after the disease was declared eradicated in the country, researchers warned on Thursday. At current US childhood vaccination rates, measles could return to spreading regularly at high levels, with an estimated 851,300 cases over the next 25 years, computer models used by the researchers suggest. If rates of vaccination with the measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, shot were to decline by 10 per cent, an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3307836/us-tipping-point-return-endemic-measles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3307836/us-tipping-point-return-endemic-measles?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2025 19:30:59 +0000 A measles outbreak has killed a second child in the southwestern United States, authorities said on Sunday, with almost 650 people now infected as the highly contagious disease spreads. “We are deeply saddened to report that a school-aged child who was recently diagnosed with measles has passed away,” Aaron Davis, vice-president of UMC Health System, a medical centre in Texas, told Agence France-Presse. The child had been receiving treatment for “complications of measles” in hospital, he said,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3305425/500-cases-west-texas-measles-outbreak-second-child-dies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3305425/500-cases-west-texas-measles-outbreak-second-child-dies?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Apr 2025 15:36:57 +0000 The White House withdrew US President Donald Trump’s nomination of former Republican congressman and vaccine critic Dave Weldon to serve as director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, a surprise move that came shortly before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. Weldon, a doctor who has a long history of opposing vaccines, said in a four-page statement posted by The New York Times that he had been informed 12 hours before the hearing by the White House that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3302296/trump-drops-vaccine-critic-dave-weldon-nominee-head-cdc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3302296/trump-drops-vaccine-critic-dave-weldon-nominee-head-cdc?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:55:28 +0000 As a measles outbreak spreads across West Texas, Dr. Ana Montanez is fighting an uphill battle to convince some parents that vitamin A – touted by vaccine critics as effective against the highly contagious virus – will not protect their children. The 53-year-old paediatrician in the city of Lubbock is working overtime to contact vaccine-hesitant parents, explaining the grave risks posed by a disease that most American families have never seen in their lifetime – and one that can be prevented... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3301642/texas-doctors-fight-vitamin-rfk-jnr-over-measles-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3301642/texas-doctors-fight-vitamin-rfk-jnr-over-measles-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Mar 2025 13:32:54 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun Health authorities are investigating an imported case of measles involving a 38-year-old man who returned from Vietnam and visited the Hong Kong Sports Institute last month. The Centre for Health Protection on Saturday revealed the case of the patient, who had diarrhoea on February 22 and developed a rash three days later. He sought medical treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on Wednesday and was admitted on the same day. His clinical samples tested positive for measles virus... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3300714/hong-kong-health-authorities-investigating-imported-case-measles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3300714/hong-kong-health-authorities-investigating-imported-case-measles?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Mar 2025 05:10:03 +0000 An unvaccinated child in Texas has died from measles, authorities said Wednesday, marking the first US fatality from the highly contagious disease in nearly a decade as health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr played down a growing outbreak. The death comes as immunisation rates decline nationwide, with the latest cases concentrated in a Mennonite religious community that has historically shown vaccine hesitancy. It arrived at a delicate moment for US public health as Kennedy, who has long spread... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3300284/unvaccinated-texas-child-dies-measles-outbreak-first-us-fatality-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3300284/unvaccinated-texas-child-dies-measles-outbreak-first-us-fatality-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:23:18 +0000 The battle against Covid-19 risks undermining other public health campaigns in Africa as attention and resources are diverted away from other projects such as immunization and anti-malaria campaigns. Before the coronavirus arrived in Africa, the continent was battling to contain measles, polio, malaria, cholera, tuberculosis and Ebola, which were killing thousands of people annually. Millions of dollars that were directed toward immunization programs have now been halted while the battle against... https://www.scmp.com/health/africa-juggling-coronavirus-pandemic-other-disease-outbreaks/article/3081717?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/africa-juggling-coronavirus-pandemic-other-disease-outbreaks/article/3081717?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2020 10:33:59 +0000 Doctors and epidemiologists insist that we do not yet know much about Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease, which from a scientific standpoint is certainly true. But government leaders and policymakers do not have the luxury of waiting until all the facts can be gathered before making difficult decisions. Like poker players, they must weigh the risks in a game of incomplete information. But incomplete information is not no information: We know Covid-19 spreads rapidly, often... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3075179/asia-has-gained-some-perspective-coronavirus-europe-and-us-should?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3075179/asia-has-gained-some-perspective-coronavirus-europe-and-us-should?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2020 11:00:13 +0000 Hong Kong’s high vaccination rate protects it against a global outbreak of measles, which can kill and cause severe health complications. Medical authorities quickly halted a surge in cases early this year among airport and aviation personnel. As a result, to the end of October, the city had only 87 cases this year, compared with 10 million worldwide last year that killed 140,000, mostly young children who had not been vaccinated. The World Health Organisation expects a threefold increase this... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3041318/denying-efficacy-vaccines-invites-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3041318/denying-efficacy-vaccines-invites-disaster?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2019 13:30:12 +0000 Authorities in Samoa are racing to contain a deadly outbreak of measles, one of the world’s most infectious diseases, as the death toll climbed to 65 on December 7 and the number of cases passed 4,400 – more than 2 per cent of the Pacific nation’s population. The government on Tuesday told Samoa’s 200,000 residents to hang red flags on the door of any house containing an unvaccinated person. Two days later, even the residence of Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi had a red flag on its... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3041019/anti-vaxxers-claims-fuel-samoa-measles-epidemic-63-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3041019/anti-vaxxers-claims-fuel-samoa-measles-epidemic-63-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Dec 2019 00:30:13 +0000 A measles outbreak at Hong Kong International Airport has come to an end, according to local health authorities. The Centre for Health Protection made the announcement on Friday almost two months after the airport outbreak was first reported on March 22. In the 73 cases recorded in the city so far this year, 29 were related to the airport outbreak. The centre said the date any of these patients had last visited the airport during the communicable period was April 5. In general, the incubation... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3010747/measles-outbreak-hong-kong-international-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3010747/measles-outbreak-hong-kong-international-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 May 2019 16:14:25 +0000 Three workers at a Gucci outlet in Hong Kong have fallen ill with measles in the past week, according to health officials. The outbreak of the highly infectious disease at the luxury fashion shop in the Harbour City shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui caused the store to close early on Monday, while the mall’s management deployed cleaners for disinfection. The growing number of cases recorded in Hong Kong this year has put local health authorities on high alert. The first Gucci worker affected, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3010071/gucci-shop-hong-kongs-harbour-city-mall-closes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3010071/gucci-shop-hong-kongs-harbour-city-mall-closes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2019 16:22:28 +0000 A cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology has been quarantined in the Caribbean port of St Lucia for the past two days because of a confirmed case of measles, health authorities said on Thursday. “Given the highly infectious nature of measles, along with the possibility that other persons on board the vessel may have been in contact with and are now possibly infectious due to this disease, a decision was made not to allow persons to disembark,” said Merlene Fredericks-James, the island’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3008648/scientology-cruise-ship-freewinds-quarantined-caribbean-port-st?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3008648/scientology-cruise-ship-freewinds-quarantined-caribbean-port-st?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 May 2019 19:08:14 +0000 I am writing in response to the report, “Filipino helpers can get measles test at airport but is it discrimination?” (April 25). Given the recent outbreak of measles in Hong Kong hitting a 10-year high, with nearly 70 people affected, the Department of Health last week announced a pilot scheme to provide measles immunity tests for about 200 Filipino domestic helpers arriving in the city, with those found to be non-immune to receive vaccinations. Eman Villanueva, vice-chair of the Filipino... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3008132/measles-outbreak-philippines-means-hong-kong-airport-tests-helpers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3008132/measles-outbreak-philippines-means-hong-kong-airport-tests-helpers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Apr 2019 05:00:16 +0000 An outbreak of measles that has infected thousands of people across Asia and continues to spread, is sparking concerns in Hong Kong about the preparedness of travellers, especially over the recent Easter holiday. A growing number of cases recorded in Hong Kong over the last four months, including a cluster of cases at the city’s international airport, has put local health authorities on high alert. The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, which is under the Department of Health, says 67 cases... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3007826/measles-hong-kong-how-city-responding-growing-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3007826/measles-hong-kong-how-city-responding-growing-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Apr 2019 01:15:09 +0000 Hong Kong is to provide measles immunity tests for about 200 Filipino domestic helpers arriving in the city’s airport. The Department of Health on Thursday announced a pilot service as concerns grew over a possible further measles outbreak in Hong Kong. The city has so far recorded 67 measles cases – the highest annual number in a decade. “Through the pilot service, the [department] hopes to better grasp the overall immunity against measles among Filipino domestic helpers working in Hong Kong,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3007699/filipino-helpers-be-given-measles-immunity-tests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3007699/filipino-helpers-be-given-measles-immunity-tests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2019 12:29:15 +0000 Nearly 170 million children in the world under the age of 10, including half a million in the UK and 2.5 million in the US, are unprotected from measles in the face of growing outbreaks of the disease, Unicef is warning. More than 21 million children a year are not vaccinated against one of the most infectious organisms in existence, says the UN body. Between 2010 and 2017, an estimated 169 million children missed the first of the recommended two-dose regime. “The ground for the global measles... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3007612/measles-alarm-nearly-170-million-children-under-10-unprotected-global?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3007612/measles-alarm-nearly-170-million-children-under-10-unprotected-global?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2019 05:09:23 +0000 The most upsetting thing about the current measles outbreak is that it was entirely preventable (“Don’t allow the anti-vaccine movement to spread through Hong Kong”, April 15). Failure to vaccinate children, caused by either intimidatory edicts from religious fundamentalists of all colours or conspiracy theorists peddling bunkum that flies in the face of decades of medical scientific evidence, is the main reason. If you see a child being abused by his or her parents by, for example, physical... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3006437/hong-kongs-measles-outbreak-failure-vaccinate-children-should-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3006437/hong-kongs-measles-outbreak-failure-vaccinate-children-should-be?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2019 00:30:08 +0000 I refer to the letter from Dr Edmond Wong Man Lok (“Measles blood test refused by hospitals body”) dated April 12, expressing his views on blood test arrangements in the Hospital Authority. Amid the recent surge in measles cases in Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority has been closely collaborating with the Centre for Health Protection on outbreak control measures, including vaccinations, contact tracing and outbreak information dissemination and public health education. The first phase of our... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3006202/measles-control-hong-kong-requires-prioritising-vaccines-and-blood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3006202/measles-control-hong-kong-requires-prioritising-vaccines-and-blood?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2019 00:00:10 +0000 Many people are gearing up for Easter break but are worrying about how to protect themselves and their loved ones from measles – especially those with unborn babies and children under one who are too young to be vaccinated. The disease killed 2.6 million people every year, before widespread vaccination in the 2000s. Although the World Health Organisation declared measles had been eradicated from Hong Kong in 2016, there has been a global resurgence of the disease: the past year has seen... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3005890/we-need-stop-spread-anti-vaccine-movement-and-all-shameless?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3005890/we-need-stop-spread-anti-vaccine-movement-and-all-shameless?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Apr 2019 23:30:10 +0000 Measles during pregnancy carries significant risks for both the mother and the fetus. Complications include premature birth, placenta involvement leading to stillbirth, serious pneumonia, encephalitis and even maternal death. It is also common knowledge that pregnant women and newborns cluster together during medical check-ups and follow-ups at prenatal and newborn clinics. Everyone understands measles vaccines and test kits are scarce resources, but pregnant women and their fetuses are the most... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3005668/amid-measles-outbreak-hospital-authority-failing-its-vulnerable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3005668/amid-measles-outbreak-hospital-authority-failing-its-vulnerable?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Apr 2019 05:00:13 +0000 It’s a year of elections in Asia and we’re looking at what has happened in Thailand’s recent polls, including the defiant appearance of the exiled Shinawatras at a wedding in Hong Kong, as well as taking an in-depth look at the vote in Indonesia, scheduled for April 17. Indonesian president Joko Widodo is poised to win a second five-year term but we’ll explore the contrasting visions for the country’s future, presenting Widodo and his challenger, Prabowo Subianto. Asia desk editor Lynn Lee... https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/3005394/asia-briefing-elections-thailand-and-indonesia-and-measles-returns-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/podcasts/article/3005394/asia-briefing-elections-thailand-and-indonesia-and-measles-returns-south?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2019 10:55:04 +0000 Five more people were struck down by measles in Hong Kong on Monday, including the first pregnant woman to fall ill in this year’s outbreak. Three were airport employees. The new cases brought the number of measles infections in the city since the start of 2019 to 61. Some 29 have been airport or airline personnel. There were only 15 cases in Hong Kong in the whole of last year. The 28-year-old pregnant woman had a good prior health record and had received two doses of the measles vaccine, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3005288/pregnant-woman-among-five-more-measles-cases-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3005288/pregnant-woman-among-five-more-measles-cases-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2019 23:00:23 +0000 Australia on Monday launched a major education campaign to encourage its residents, particularly those travelling overseas, to get vaccinated against measles as a sudden spike in cases amid a global resurgence causes alarm. Measles – an airborne infection causing fever, coughing and rashes that can be deadly in rare cases – was declared officially eliminated from Australia by the World Health Organisation in 2014. In developed nations including Australia however, the growing anti-vaccine... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3005157/measles-outbreak-spreads-australia-prompting-renewed-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3005157/measles-outbreak-spreads-australia-prompting-renewed-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2019 06:49:53 +0000 One more airport staff member was confirmed to be infected with measles on Sunday, bringing the total number of people affected by the contagious disease in Hong Kong this year to 56. The latest case was a 30-year-old man who worked in Viet’s Choice, a restaurant in Terminal 2 of Hong Kong International Airport. The 56 measles cases recorded so far this year have been nearly four times the 15 cases in the whole of last year. Of them, 26 involved airport or airline personnel. Hong Kong’s Centre... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3005052/another-hong-kong-airport-worker-confirmed-having?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3005052/another-hong-kong-airport-worker-confirmed-having?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2019 13:27:14 +0000 Another worker at Hong Kong airport was on Saturday found to have been infected with measles, bringing the number of cases in the city this year to 55. The 25-year-old customer service officer contracted the disease despite a previous vaccination and past good health. He developed a fever on Tuesday followed by a rash two days later. The city’s Centre for Health Protection said the man worked on the seventh floor of Terminal 1, and had consulted a general practitioner on Friday before attending... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004987/hong-kongs-measles-infections-hit-55-2019-another?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004987/hong-kongs-measles-infections-hit-55-2019-another?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Apr 2019 17:06:27 +0000 Another medical worker in Hong Kong has contracted measles, it was confirmed on Friday, while the city will face a vaccine shortage during the Easter travel season as doses from one supplier will fail to arrive this month. Amid the global wave of measles, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) recorded four new cases, pushing the total number of cases to 54 this year, with 24 of those afflicted working at Hong Kong International Airport. Among the new patients was a 20-year-old female nurse who... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004917/four-new-hong-kong-measles-cases-confirmed-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004917/four-new-hong-kong-measles-cases-confirmed-one?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Apr 2019 14:13:09 +0000 Seven more people were found to be infected with measles on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in Hong Kong this year to 50 – setting a five-year record for an annual infection count by early April. Two of the new patients had received three doses of the measles vaccine, according to the Centre for Health Protection. The seven new cases – five men and two women between 11 months old and 31 years old – meant this year’s running total was tied with the total for all of 2014, and closing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004749/hong-kong-gets-50th-measles-case-year-so-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004749/hong-kong-gets-50th-measles-case-year-so-far?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:07:07 +0000 Union leaders will meet with health officials on Wednesday to ask them to ease the criteria for measles vaccinations for airport staff after three more workers were found to be infected on Tuesday. One radiographer at Princess Margaret Hospital was also found to be infected, the Hospital Authority announced late Tuesday night, taking the number of cases in the city to 40 for the year, almost three times as many as the whole of last year. Li Wing-foo, vice-chairman of the Staff and Workers Union... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004377/three-more-hong-kong-airport-workers-struck-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004377/three-more-hong-kong-airport-workers-struck-down?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Apr 2019 14:07:51 +0000 The tightened rules for the administration of the measles vaccine to Hong Kong airport workers were criticised on Monday, with many who queued in the hope of being immunised turned away. The development came on the same day it was confirmed two more airport staff members had been infected. That brought the number of measles cases in the city to 36 for the year, of which 16 involved people who work at the airport. There were only 15 measles cases in 2018. Among the new cases was a 24-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004206/frustration-builds-hong-kong-airport-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004206/frustration-builds-hong-kong-airport-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:26:31 +0000 Hong Kong health authorities have tightened the requirements for their airport vaccination service against measles after blood tests found almost 90 per cent of airport staff were immune to the highly contagious disease. The Centre for Health Protection came up with the new vaccination strategy to cope with the rising number of infections in the city, with most cases identified at the airport, where some 70,000 people work. The centre carried out blood tests for 100 airport workers starting from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004043/six-out-100-hong-kong-airport-workers-found-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3004043/six-out-100-hong-kong-airport-workers-found-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Mar 2019 13:43:57 +0000 A group of pregnant Cathay Pacific flight attendants have said they will all take sick leave from Monday unless the Hong Kong-based airline improves its safeguards against the measles outbreak in the city. The threat came after the carrier had to disinfect part of its corporate headquarters after an office worker became the 33rd person to catch the disease in Hong Kong, and the 13th airport and airline employee to be affected. Vera Wu Yee-mei, chairwoman of the Cathay Pacific Airways Flight... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003956/cathay-pacific-seals-whole-floor-company?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003956/cathay-pacific-seals-whole-floor-company?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Mar 2019 08:19:27 +0000 Another airport worker was on Friday confirmed to have contracted measles, raising the number of cases in Hong Kong this year to 32. A dozen cases have been recorded among airport and airline staff alone, including a pilot, baggage handlers and security guards, as the government attempts to get to grips with the outbreak. Health officials said they would prioritise workers at Hong Kong International Airport for vaccinations amid a shortage of supply. The latest Hongkonger with the illness is a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003906/another-hong-kong-airport-worker-has-measles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003906/another-hong-kong-airport-worker-has-measles?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:52:19 +0000 Vaccination rates for measles have dipped across Southeast Asia, falling below the 95 per cent mark which experts say is needed to fully protect a community from the infectious disease. At the same time, cases of measles have spiked in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines in recent years – part of a worldwide 50 per cent increase in measles cases seen last year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). For the past two years, the Philippines and Indonesia have had the world’s second-... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3003734/measles-vaccine-preventable-diseases-rise-southeast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3003734/measles-vaccine-preventable-diseases-rise-southeast?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Mar 2019 02:00:18 +0000 Hong Kong health workers will do blood tests on airport staff and only vaccinate people found to lack immunity to measles to preserve the city’s limited supply of vaccines, health officials announced on Thursday, as the number of cases continued to grow. The new strategy came as the total number of infections for 2019 rose to 31 – more than double the total of 15 for last year – after a 17-year-old Filipino man who arrived in the city on March 23 was as confirmed as infected. The visitor had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003732/blood-tests-find-out-who-really-needs-measles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003732/blood-tests-find-out-who-really-needs-measles?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Mar 2019 14:46:00 +0000 Hong Kong as an international travel hub has often been exposed to potential health threats caused by communicable diseases. The recent measles outbreak has again highlighted the need for the government to step up measures to protect the public from infectious illnesses imported from abroad. The rapid increase in measles cases reported in Hong Kong has aroused public concern about an infectious disease that has been brought under control in the city over the past two decades through high levels... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003514/measles-highly-infectious-disease-previously?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003514/measles-highly-infectious-disease-previously?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Mar 2019 01:00:11 +0000 As Filipino families head to the beach, the mountains or just chill at home for the long spring-summer break at the end of March, health authorities are hoping the two-month holiday will provide respite in an ongoing war against measles and a worrying rise in dengue fever cases. The measles outbreak, which began about a year ago, shows no signs of abating. As of March 8, about 28,500 people, mostly children, had fallen ill with the highly contagious viral infection, and 488 had died. Now, as... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3003416/dengue-fever-outbreak-looms-philippines-after-vaccine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3003416/dengue-fever-outbreak-looms-philippines-after-vaccine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Mar 2019 00:15:04 +0000 Hong Kong private doctors revealed on Wednesday that they have a long list of patients waiting for the measles vaccine, as doses are running short amid an outbreak in the city. While some clinics have dozens or more than 100 people waiting for the jabs, the doctors said they expected the Airport Authority and the Hospital Authority to be given priority when the next batch of 30,000 measles vaccine arrives in the city in mid-April, as airport and medical personnel are in more urgent need of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003566/long-queue-hongkongers-waiting-measles-vaccine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003566/long-queue-hongkongers-waiting-measles-vaccine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2019 23:30:13 +0000 Hong Kong is set to change its vaccination policy for measles, with children receiving a second injection against the contagious disease at a younger age amid a continuous rise in infections. From next year, children aged 18 months will receive the second jab instead of having to wait until they are six years old under the existing policy. Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee also revealed at the Legislative Council on Wednesday that about 30,000 doses of the vaccine... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003500/hong-kong-change-measles-vaccine-policy-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003500/hong-kong-change-measles-vaccine-policy-so?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2019 09:30:20 +0000 Hong Kong could face a second wave of measles infections, a top disease expert warned on Monday, as health authorities stepped up vaccinations of workers at the city’s airport. The Centre for Health Protection has recorded 20 measles infections so far this year – against 15 in all of 2018 – five of them involving airport and airline staff. The outbreak started early this month, when a Cathay Pacific Airways flight attendant displayed symptoms such as a fever and a rash. University of Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003103/more-measles-cases-likely-hit-hong-kong-disease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003103/more-measles-cases-likely-hit-hong-kong-disease?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Mar 2019 04:54:44 +0000 Hong Kong recorded another measles infection on Sunday, as hundreds of airport workers rushed to take the vaccine over the weekend after at least five infections were linked to the facility. The latest incident, involving a 27-year-old Hong Kong man, brought the number of measles cases reported in the city to 20 this year. The Centre for Health Protection set up a vaccination station at Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday after it emerged that at least five of the highly contagious cases... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003065/hong-kong-reports-20th-measles-infection-hundreds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3003065/hong-kong-reports-20th-measles-infection-hundreds?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2019 13:12:50 +0000 Two more cases of measles were recorded in Hong Kong on Saturday, bringing the total number this year to a five-year high of 19, as health authorities said they expected more incidents to be reported. But officials said the chance of a large epidemic was not high as protection was relatively good in the city. The latest cases followed three more on Friday, surpassing the 15 from the whole of 2018 and leading authorities to declare an outbreak. Hong Kong International Airport appears to be one of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3002987/measles-outbreak-hong-kong-hits-five-year-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3002987/measles-outbreak-hong-kong-hits-five-year-high?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Mar 2019 09:07:10 +0000 Health authorities on Wednesday were tracking down passengers on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo on March 1 after a man on the plane was found to have contracted measles, a highly contagious airborne disease. The Centre for Health Protection said a 23-year-old Hongkonger developed a fever on March 1, the day he took CX526 to Narita Airport in Tokyo. He developed full-blown symptoms of measles three days later. The man, said to be a Cathay Pacific flight attendant, was admitted to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3001590/measles-scare-health-authorities-seek-passengers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3001590/measles-scare-health-authorities-seek-passengers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2019 16:17:47 +0000 A new decade-long study of more than half a million people found that the measles vaccine does not increase the risk of autism, further reinforcing what the medical community has long been saying about preventive shots. Researchers from Denmark looked at a Danish population registry of 657,461 children, some who were vaccinated with the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and some who were not. After more than a decade of follow-up, 6,517 were diagnosed with autism. There was no increased... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2188780/vaccines-still-dont-cause-autism-decade-long-study-650000-people-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2188780/vaccines-still-dont-cause-autism-decade-long-study-650000-people-confirms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Mar 2019 18:31:17 +0000 Health experts on Monday warned against a possible outbreak of measles in the Philippines, as a disease long under control is fuelled by patchy immunisation programmes and declining trust in vaccines. Measles cases jumped nearly fivefold to 17,300 in the 11 months to November versus last year’s figure, mostly in conflict areas in the south, said doctors and officials of the World Health Organisation (WHO). “We have almost eradicated measles, but we are now seeing a rise in cases, because the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2176197/measles-outbreak-looms-philippines-peoples-trust-vaccines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2176197/measles-outbreak-looms-philippines-peoples-trust-vaccines?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Dec 2018 12:11:39 +0000