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Hong Kong has confirmed its second locally acquired chikungunya fever infection, with the patient’s viral sample found to match that of the first domestic case. The Centre for Health Protection said on Friday that it had classified it as locally acquired after genome analysis found that the female patient, 55, shared the same source of infection as the first case, an 82-year-old woman who lives in Fung Tak Estate in Diamond Hill. “Based on the epidemiological information for both patients, including their common locations of movement during the incubation periods, the [centre] considered that the 55-year-old female more likely acquired the infection in the vicinity of Fung Tak Estate,” it said. “As her infection and onset of illness occurred prior to the commencement of the government’s ongoing large-scale mosquito control operations, this locally acquired case will not have a significant impact on the overall risk assessment.” The first locally acquired case was reported on Sunday. The city so far had recorded a total of 52 chikungunya cases, comprising two local and 50 imported infections, this year, the centre added. It said staff were dispatched on Friday to the school in Fung Tak Estate where the 55-year-old patient worked. The centre said it had confirmed that no other staff or students currently had symptoms of the disease and gave the school hygiene advice. Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, with an incubation period of about two to 12 days. Although rarely fatal, it can cause fever, rash and joint pain. Authorities urged residents to use insect repellents containing DEET or other active ingredients effective against mosquitoes and seek medical advice promptly if they developed relevant symptoms.
