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Dengue fever poses a “moderate” risk to Hong Kong, a health official has said after the city recorded its first local case of the infection this year.
The Centre for Health Protection. File photo: CHP, via Facebook.Albert Au, head of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), said in an RTHK radio programme on Wednesday that rising temperatures and the imminent rainy season made environments more favourable for mosquito breeding.
“The infection rate for mosquito-borne diseases in Southeast Asia and neighbouring regions remains high,” Au said in Cantonese. “So we think the risk of an outbreak cannot be neglected.”
Personnel from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) inspect the vicinity of a construction site in Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island, on April 21, 2026, after a man was believed to have been bitten by a mosquito carrying the dengue virus. Photo: GovHK.Hong Kong is investigating a local case of dengue fever after a 21-year-old man, who had not travelled outside the city lately, tested positive for the dengue virus.
According to a government statement on Tuesday, the man developed symptoms including fever and a rash last week, and is currently in stable condition in hospital.
He told authorities he had recently been bitten by mosquitoes near a construction site in Penny’s Bay on Lantau, where he works.
Environmental inspections showed there were “multiple sites conducive to mosquito breeding” there, including drainage channels with weeds and leaves, as well as stagnant water, the statement read.
The man lives at Tai Wo Estate in Tai Po. The CHP has set up a consultation booth at the estate to provide health assessments and dengue fever antibody tests for people with symptoms.
12 imported cases this year
So far, 12 other cases of dengue fever have been recorded this year, all of them imported.
Dengue fever, a viral infection transmitted to humans through mosquito bites, is most commonly recorded in warmer climates, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Most people experience mild or no symptoms, although severe cases – often caused by multiple infections – can lead to death.
A Food and Environmental Hygiene Department banner on the prevention of mosquito-borne infections. File photo: GovHK.Au said there might have been undiagnosed imported cases of dengue fever in the community that transmitted the virus locally. However, authorities have not found epidemiological links between the man’s case and other previously recorded imported cases.
In 2025, the city recorded 59 cases of dengue fever, all imported. Meanwhile, in 2024, there were 161 cases, five of which were local.
According to the government statement, the 21-year-old’s household contacts and workers at the construction site are so far asymptomatic.
Members of the public are advised to inspect their homes and prevent water accumulation to remove potential mosquito breeding grounds.
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