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Harvey Kong

Melioidosis has returned to the public spotlight after health authorities confirmed the disease caused the death of nine monkeys at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
The disease, caused by the Burkholderia pseudomallei bacterium, is endemic to the city, with a previous outbreak involving dozens of cases in Sham Shui Po in 2022.
The Post explains more about the disease and how you can keep yourself safe.
1. What happened this time?
Officials said on Friday nine monkeys that died at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens succumbed to sepsis brought on by a melioidosis infection, confirmed by necropsies and laboratory tests.
The announcement followed the discovery of the death of eight monkeys at the zoo last Sunday, with another animal dying on Monday morning.
The dead comprised three cotton-top tamarins, four white-faced saki monkeys, a De Brazza’s monkey and a common squirrel monkey.
A De Brazza’s monkey was placed under observation on Monday after showing symptoms such as abnormal appetite and behaviour. It was said to be in a stable condition.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the cause of the infection might have been due to digging during pipe-repair work in early October in a nearby flower-bed area, causing contaminated soil to be exposed to the environment.
“The contaminated soil might have been brought into the cages by staff wearing shoes with the soil,” he said.

2. What is melioidosis?
Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is abundant in soil and muddy water, especially in moist clay soil.
It is usually spread through contact with contaminated soil or surface water, particularly via skin abrasions and wounds, as well as inhaling contaminated dust or water droplets and drinking contaminated water.
While person-to-person transmission is uncommon, the disease can spread through contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected individual.
The disease can manifest as conditions such as a localised infection, pneumonia, meningoencephalitis and sepsis, which is an extreme response to infections where the immune system starts to attack healthy tissue.
Depending on the location of infection, symptoms can also include fever, headache, cough, chest pain, ulceration and localised pain or swelling.
The incubation period commonly ranges from two to four weeks. The fatality rate is between 40 and 75 per cent. It can be treated with antibiotics, but there is no vaccine targeting the bacteria.
3. How common is the disease in Hong Kong?
Melioidosis is an endemic disease in Hong Kong and cases have been recorded in the city every year, according to the Department of Health’s Centre for Health Protection.
Health authorities have said they recorded 19 cases this year, and documented 17 the year before.
The government announced the latest human infection of the disease on Friday, which involved a 59-year-old woman with underlying medical conditions living in Sham Shui Po.
She developed a fever and abdominal pain on October 5 and was subsequently admitted to Caritas Medical Centre on October 7. She is currently in a stable condition.
Centre for Health Protection controller Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin said the cases recorded this year were sporadic and not clustered, suggesting no escalating trend. None of the cases were related to the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, he added.
Hong Kong previously experienced a widespread outbreak of melioidosis in 2022, with dozens of cases recorded in Sham Shui Po.


4. Can animals pass the virus to humans?
Tsui said melioidosis infections between humans and from animals were rare occurrences.
He added that authorities understood that staff at the garden were still in good health and not experiencing any abnormal conditions.
Tsui also said he believed the monkey infections were an isolated case and would pose a minimal risk to residents.
Culture minister Yeung said current measures were already enough to protect visitors, with the whole mammal section closed off to the public, and cleaning and disinfection of animal cages carried out.
5. How can you protect yourself?
Tsui suggested residents handling soil or dirty water should put on waterproof gloves and shoes, as well as protective equipment.
People who have suffered wounds must deal with them immediately and use waterproof coverings, as well as avoid any outdoor activities.
Residents should also avoid eating undercooked food or consume water that had not been boiled and properly treated, he added.
Professor Vanessa Barrs, dean of the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences at City University, said that while human-to-human or animal-to-human infection did not generally occur, the public should not take the disease too lightly.
“The highest risk of human infection occurs after heavy monsoon rains and winds, when the bacteria is more widely dispersed in aerosols from disturbed soil and can be inhaled,” she said.
“In general healthy humans are resistant to the disease, but in people in poor health such as those with medical conditions like diabetes, cancer or kidney disease, the infection can be fatal in 10 per cent to 40 per cent of cases.”
She added that pet owners should also stop their dogs from digging, but said there was no cause for panic as their animals were not a source of the infection.
“To avoid exposure and possible disease in their pets, owners should prevent their dogs from digging behaviour outside, from swimming in bodies of fresh water, or drinking from puddles,” Barrs said.
Additional reporting by Ng Kang-chung


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Hong Kong zoo melioidosis outbreak in monkeys: what is the disease and how does it spread?

A De Brazza’s monkey at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens in Central. Photo: Sam Tsang

Nine monkeys that died at the Hong Kong zoo succumbed to sepsis brought on by a melioidosis infection. Photo: Sam Tsang

9 monkeys died from melioidosis bacterial infection in Hong Kong zoo

Tourism chief Kevin Yeung (centre) says necropsies and laboratory tests revealed the diagnosis of melioidosis. Photo: Dickson Lee

Melioidosis outbreak in Hong Kong caused by airborne transmission, researchers claim

Hong Kong researches have made a discovery about how the melioidosis outbreak is spreading.
Photo: Shutterstock

A research team led by Dr Gilman Siu and Dr Tommy Lam suggested airborne transmission to be the cause for the urban outbreak of melioidosis in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Emily Hung

Workers spray disinfectant at a construction site at Pak Tin Estate, Sham Shui Po. Soil samples taken from the area tested positive for melioidosis. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Melioidosis outbreak in Hong Kong may have originated at reservoir in West Kowloon but water is safe, expert says

The authorities have closed their melioidosis investigation after finding Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria in the soil above two reservoirs that serve the area where the bulk of infections were discovered. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, gives a press conference to report on the investigation into the cause of melioidosis cases. Photo: Dickson Lee

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The Post explains the cause of the infections and how you can keep yourself safe.


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Explainer | Hong Kong zoo melioidosis outbreak in monkeys: what is the disease and how does it spread?

The Post explains the cause of the infections and how you can keep yourself safe

1. What happened this time?