N環球 
Hong Kong mpox cases surge: 21 new infections since August, 70% of 2026 total
The Centre for Health Protection said on Oct 10 that 21 new mpox cases since August account for 70% of this year's 30 cases; 114 cases have been recorded since 2022, all male. Authorities are expanding vaccination and outreach to break transmission chains.
Why it matters
Mpox is active in Hong Kong again after a long lull: 21 new cases in just over two months, 70% of the year's total. Health officials say multiple transmission chains are circulating among men who have sex with men and are expanding vaccination and outreach to contain them.
Full report
The Department of Health's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said in a press release on October 10 that it is investigating a confirmed mpox case and stepping up multi-pronged measures to cut transmission chains. The release disclosed 21 new cases since August, accounting for 70% of the 30 cases recorded so far in 2026 (23 local, 7 imported); 114 cases have been logged since 2022 (90 local, 24 imported), all in men.
The latest case is a 29-year-old man whose symptoms were spotted during an outreach vaccination service on October 8; he is in isolation at Princess Margaret Hospital in stable condition. Risk factors in recent cases include unprotected sex with unfamiliar male or multiple partners during the incubation period, with most patients unvaccinated; genetic analysis shows identical viral sequences in some cases, indicating multiple transmission chains among men who have sex with men.
On control measures, the CHP is opening additional vaccination points, has set up an mpox hotline at 2125 2373 (9am–6pm daily), and is pushing reminders on dating apps. Vaccine doses administered in early October surged more than 70% from a month earlier; about 360 high-risk people were vaccinated at the new points over the past two weeks. The release also noted that over half of recent patients met unfamiliar sex partners through dating apps and some could not be reached afterwards, hampering contact tracing.
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