Doctors urged to test for chikungunya as Hong Kong detects first local 2026 case

Doctors in Hong Kong have been urged to arrange blood tests for patients with symptoms of chikungunya fever, regardless of their travel history, after the city recorded its first local case of the mosquito-borne disease this year.

The Centre for Health Protection issued a reminder to doctors on Thursday after a 55-year-old woman with no recent travel history was reported as Hong Kong’s first locally acquired chikungunya fever case in 2026.

“To facilitate early diagnosis and timely public health intervention, please consider arranging diagnostic testing for any patient presenting with symptoms suggestive of chikungunya fever, regardless of their travel history,” the centre wrote in a letter to doctors.

Testing for the mosquito-borne disease is free of charge at the public health laboratory service under the centre.