Searing pain, fever and fear: a Hong Kong reporter’s chikungunya ordeal

While the term “chikungunya” might have been unfamiliar to many in Hong Kong until the first imported case was reported in early August, news of the infection immediately brought me back to my own difficult and painful first encounter with the virus six years ago.

Hong Kong has been seeing a growing number of imported cases of the mosquito-borne disease, with the latest one announced on Wednesday, bringing the year’s total so far to 12.

The new case involved a 34-year-old man living in a residential building on Third Street in Sai Ying Pun. The man had travelled to Sri Lanka, where he was bitten by mosquitoes, leading to symptoms upon his return to the city.

The recent chikungunya cases in Hong Kong have prompted authorities to ramp up mosquito control efforts. This response is crucial, as the disease can lead to lasting effects. Joint pain – the worst aspect of my own experience – can persist for a very long time after the initial infection has passed.

In June 2019, when I was between jobs, I enrolled in a four-week intensive course at a school in Thailand to train as a teacher in English as a second language.