The government will take all possible measures to eradicate mosquitoes from Hong Kong in order to prevent Chikungunya fever from taking root, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday, while stressing the need to also enhance public awareness of preventive measures to reduce the risk of infection from mosquito bites.

A special needs school in Diamond Hill, where a staff member tested positive for Chikungunya fever, activated protective protocols on Tuesday morning, with teachers conducting temperature checks and applying mosquito repellent spray to students. The school has suspended all outdoor activities, including physical education classes, and moved assemblies indoors from Monday as a precautionary measure.

Hong Kong recorded three new cases of the mosquito-borne disease on Monday, bringing the total number to 50, including one case confirmed as having been caught locally. The source of the Diamond Hill school case has not yet been confirmed.

READ MORE: HK logs 9 chikungunya cases so far this year, all imported

Speaking before a weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said Chikungunya fever is not transmitted between people, but spreads through mosquito bites, with most infected individuals recovering naturally and fatalities are rare.

“Our key task for containment is mosquito eradication and enhancing public awareness,” he said.

Lee outlined various measures being taken to control the spread of Chikungunya. The Environment and Ecology Bureau’s Pest Control Steering Committee met on Monday to strengthen interdepartmental preventive work against the disease, while the bureau’s secretary, Tse Chin-wan, visited Wong Tai Sin District in Kowloon to inspect and guide mosquito prevention work.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has also launched cleaning and mosquito elimination operations around the residences of those infected, with inspections being carried out at schools, construction sites and other key locations.

Community health measures have also been implemented in areas of concern. Surveys have been conducted by care teams, medical stations have been set up in shopping malls, and an online health talk was held on Monday evening, with about 4,100 residents participating.

“Chikungunya fever is not endemic in Hong Kong,” Lee said. “We’re making every effort to prevent it from establishing itself locally.”

Yeung Tak-keung, head of the National Games Coordination Office (Hong Kong), said the governments of Guangdong province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions are monitoring the mosquito-borne disease closely.  

Health authorities in the three regions are maintaining continuous surveillance, and relevant bodies are in close coordination to ensure the health and safety of all participants during the National Games next month.

Among the three new Chikungunya patients is a 55-year-old female staff member of Rhenish Church Grace School on Fung Tak Estate, Wong Tai Sin, who reported having visited Shenzhen and staying in the Fung Tak area during the incubation period.

The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a possible epidemiological link between this case and the first local case, recorded on Sunday, involving an 82-year-old Fung Tak Estate resident with no travel history during the incubation period, who developed symptoms on Oct 18.

The other two new imported cases include a 67-year-old man from Yat Tung Estate in Tung Chung who had visited Foshan in Guangdong province, and a 76-year-old Tseung Kwan O woman who had traveled to Guangzhou and Huizhou.

All the patients are hospitalized in mosquito-free environments and are in a stable condition.

According to the Rhenish Church Grace School’s principal, Tse Hing-sang, the infected employee last worked on Friday before leaving early due to illness. The case has prompted heightened mosquito control efforts in the Wong Tai Sin district, where health authorities are investigating potential local transmission chains of the mosquito-borne disease.

READ MORE: Hong Kong sees first case of chikungunya fever since 2019

Tse added that the school conducts regular mosquito control measures daily and weekly, implementing additional protective measures during summer to ensure there is no mosquito breeding in grassy areas. He noted that mosquito activity has significantly decreased since autumn began, and believes the current measures are sufficient. The school will remind parents to take mosquito prevention precautions, while also applying mosquito repellent spray and ointment on students.

He added that the Department of Health conducts regular inspections at the school. Following the recent case, the school has received no new directives from the authorities or concerns raised by parents.

Chan, whose grandson is in fourth grade at the school, said its preventive measures are sufficient. She said the school conducts regular anti-mosquito operations, with teachers proactively applying repellent to students and ensuring hand hygiene is observed. Having been kept informed about the situation, she expressed confidence in the current arrangements and said she does not see a need for class suspensions.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com