Hong Kong records first local case of mosquito-borne virus chikungunya

HONG KONG – Hong Kong recorded its first locally acquired case of chikungunya, the mosquito-borne virus that can cause debilitating joint pain lasting for years, heightening the risk of it spreading further in the city.

The patient is an 82-year-old woman living in Wong Tai Sin who developed ankle swelling and pain on Oct 18, followed by fever, and joint pain in her hands and feet a few days later, the city’s public health agency said in a statement on Oct 26.

The woman had travelled to Guangdong province in China in late August but had not been abroad during the incubation period of the virus, leading the city’s health authorities to conclude it was a locally acquired case. 

China has seen a surge in chikungunya infections, particularly in the south of the country. It has recorded more than 16,000 infections in Guangdong province as of Sept 27, according to the World Health Organisation, in the biggest outbreak of the virus since it first emerged in China nearly two decades ago. 

Chikungunya, first identified in 1952 in Tanzania, is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, the World Health Organisation says. The virus causes fever and severe joint pain, and other symptoms can include headaches, muscle pain, vomiting and fatigue. 

Although the virus does not spread from person to person, the disease can still spread if the infected person is bitten by mosquitoes, and if the mosquitoes in turn bite more people.

Hong Kong had recorded 46 cases of chikungunya in 2025, all of which were imported. The city’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has stepped up mosquito control activities such as fogging, removing stagnant water and applying pesticides since the summer. Bloomberg