Hong Kong’s rising mpox cases are ‘delayed outbreak’, with more infections likely to follow surge in mainland China, experts warn
- Experts suggest letting patients isolate at home, but authorities say it is best to keep them in hospital
- Infections began rising on both sides of the border after Covid-19 travel restrictions were eased
Hong Kong’s rising trend of mpox cases is a delayed outbreak after the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, experts have said, warning more infections may spill over from mainland China after its recent surge in cases.
The threat to the general population remained low as the virus was unlikely to cause a community outbreak, the specialists said, urging authorities to allow mpox patients, mostly with mild symptoms, to isolate at home instead of having to stay in hospital.
But the Department of Health on Friday said that the current practice of isolating patients in hospital was in line with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and necessary to protect the public.
A government spokesman said the suggestion that the measures were disproportionate or unnecessary was “counterproductive to stopping the spread of mpox infections in Hong Kong” and such comments were “untenable and irresponsible from the public health perspective”.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, has been in the spotlight as Hong Kong has reported 26 infections since last month, or three-quarters of the total 34 cases in the city so far. More than half of the recent cases had no travel history, suggesting they were infected locally.
So far, the disease has been limited mainly to the city’s community of men who have sex with men.
