The Director of Health Ronald Lam on Sunday said the risk of a local outbreak of chikungunya fever remains and he expected to see more imported cases in near future.

Hong Kong has recorded nine imported cases of the mosquito-borne disease so far this year.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme, Lam stressed that the chance of the fever spreading locally remains low at the moment.

“Looking back at those nine cases, several factors stand out. First, fortunately, all were detected early. After the onset of the disease, the patients were quickly hospitalised,” he said.

“Additionally, although the cases were imported, the time between symptom onset and hospital admission in Hong Kong was relatively short, which reduced the window during which mosquitoes could potentially transmit the virus to others.”

“Our detailed epidemiological investigations also did not suggest they had been bitten by mosquitoes after getting back to Hong Kong. So the risk of local transmission is not high at the moment.”

The World Health Organisation has predicted that this year would be another peak for chikungunya outbreaks worldwide.

Lam explained that climate change has allowed mosquitoes, which are traditionally found in tropical and subtropical regions, to expand their range into temperate zones.

Also, certain chikungunya virus genotypes, currently prevalent globally, have led to increased transmissibility in specific mosquito types, he added.

Lam did not rule out the possibility of individual sporadic cases in the SAR in future, saying the department will carry out epidemiological investigations to identify the cause of each imported case, as well as coordinate with other government departments to enhance mosquito control and prevention efforts.