Hong Kong health officials reported the first case of chikungunya fever (CF) this year in a 12-year-old boy with good past health living in Kwun Tong.
Initial investigations revealed that the patient travelled to Foshan in Guangdong Province between July 17 and 30, and recalled a history of mosquito bites during the stay. Since the patient stayed in Foshan during the whole incubation period, health officials consider that the patient was infected during travel, and the case was classified as an imported case.
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The patient developed fever, rash and joint pain since July 31 and sought medical attention from a private doctor on the same day. Despite the symptoms are mild, he was referred to the Accident and Emergency Department of United Christian Hospital on August 1 due to his recent travel history. He was admitted for treatment in a mosquito-free environment on the same day. The patient is now in stable condition. His blood sample tested positive for CF virus upon laboratory testing.
According to Foshan health officials, as of July 31, reported 6,900 chikungunya cases occurred, including 5,972 cases in Shunde District.
All cases were mild, with no severe or fatal cases. As well, confirmed cases were also recorded in other cities in Guangdong Province recently. Regarding Macao, six imported cases and one local case of CF were recorded since mid-July.
"CF is not transmitted from person to person, and is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of female Aedes mosquitoes carrying the CF virus. Eliminating mosquito breeding sites and avoiding mosquito bites are the most effective measures. During the early stage after the onset of symptoms (especially when a fever is present), the blood of patients of CF contains a large amount of virus, which is infectious to mosquitoes. If they are bitten by mosquitoes during the communicable period, further local transmission via mosquitoes is possible. Therefore, avoiding mosquito bites of the patient is an important measure to prevent local transmission," said the Head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the CHP, Dr Albert Au.
Dr Au reminded members of the public that people returning from areas affected by mosquito-borne diseases should apply insect repellent for 14 days upon arrival in Hong Kong. Members of the public should closely observe personal health conditions, in particular symptoms such as fever, joint pain and rash. If they feel unwell, they should seek medical advice promptly and provide their travel details to the doctor for clinical diagnosis and arrange appropriate testing based on an individual patient's condition. Members of the public are urged not to self-medicate, particularly with aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen), as these drugs may cause serious side effects, for example increasing the risk of hemorrhage.