Hong Kong could face the risk of an mpox outbreak if the population, which has a low immunity against the virus in general, does not remain alert, experts have warned, after the global health watchdog declared a public emergency.
Local health authorities on Thursday urged the public to remain vigilant against mpox, while expanding a reporting criteria of a suspected case, from history of travel to an area in Africa previously known as mpox endemic, to anywhere on the continent.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, following an announcement by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week.
The most recent outbreak in Africa has led to more than 500 deaths among 2,800 cases, prompting calls from the continent for international help to stop the virus spreading.
Hong Kong is currently on the “alert” level, the lowest of a three-tier system, for its preparedness and response plan for mpox.
The city has recorded 67 mpox cases, including 54 local infections, since the first one was reported in 2022.
All were male patients, and most of them had sex with other men. They included men who had sex with strangers or practised unsafe sex.
Dr Siddharth Sridhar, clinical assistant professor from the University of Hong Kong’s department of microbiology, warned there was a risk of mpox outbreak in the city if preventive measures were not taken.
“Presumably there are a lot of people in the community who do not have immunity against mpox, so there is certainly a risk of an outbreak,” Sridhar said.
“But I must say there are measures reducing the possibility [of infection]. The most important thing is vaccination.”
The government has been offering mpox vaccinations since October 2022.
High-risk groups, including people who have multiple sex partners or healthcare workers who take care of mpox patients, can receive the vaccine for free and on a voluntary basis in specific public clinics.
Sridhar urged the public not to panic about the latest situation, as the city’s links with those affected countries were not close.
“We have to remain alert but I don’t think we need to unduly panic about the African outbreak,” he said.
04:17
WHO declares mpox a global health emergency as new form of virus emerges
WHO declares mpox a global health emergency as new form of virus emerges
Dr Ada Lin Wai-chi, president of the Hong Kong Society for Infectious Diseases, said the most direct impact of the WHO’s declaration was to raise public awareness in Hong Kong.
“It is a good opportunity to remind the public that [mpox] can lead to an outbreak,” said Lin, a former health official with the government.
“If the awareness is low, an outbreak could happen.”
She said the government could consider raising the response level to “serious”, as more overseas cases could lead to a higher risk of imported and local infections.
The government said a serious response level would be warranted if the health risks caused by mpox infection on the local population was “moderate”, such as unlinked sporadic cases or clusters of infections.
In a letter sent to doctors on Thursday, the Centre for Health Protection said it had revised a reporting criteria of suspected mpox cases to travel history to Africa, from the previous criterion of an African area previously known as endemic.
Other criteria, such as acute rash or skin lesions and fever, remained unchanged.
Mpox was made as a notifiable infectious disease in Hong Kong in June 2022.
