Month: December 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Overall Wage and Payroll Statistics
 
     According to the figures released today (December 29) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the average wage rate for all the selected industry sections surveyed, as measured by the wage index, increased by 3.3% in nominal terms in September 2025 over a year earlier.
 
     About 61% of the companies reported increase in average wage rates in September 2025 compared with a year ago. A total of 34% of the companies recorded decrease in average wage rates over the same period. The remaining 5% reported virtually no change in average wage rates.
 
     After discounting the changes in consumer prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index (A), the overall average wage rate for all the selected industry sections surveyed increased by 1.8% in real terms in September 2025 over a year earlier. 
 
     As for payroll, the index of payroll per person engaged for all the industry sections surveyed increased by 2.8% in nominal terms in the third quarter of 2025 over a year earlier. 
 
     After discounting the changes in consumer prices as measured by the Composite Consumer Price Index, the average payroll per person engaged increased by 1.7% in real terms in the third quarter of 2025 compared with a year earlier.
 
     The wage rate includes basic wages and other regular and guaranteed allowances and bonuses. Payroll includes elements covered by wage rate as well as other irregular payments to workers such as discretionary bonuses and overtime allowances.  The payroll statistics therefore tend to show relatively larger quarter-to-quarter changes, affected by the number of hours actually worked and the timing of payment of bonuses and back-pay.
 
Sectoral Changes
 
     For the nominal wage indices, year-on-year increases were recorded in all selected industry sections in September 2025, ranging from 2.1% to 3.9%.
 
     For the real wage indices, year-on-year increases were also recorded in all selected industry sections in September 2025, ranging from 0.6% to 2.4%.
 
     The year-on-year changes in the nominal and real wage indices for the selected industry sections from September 2024 to September 2025 are shown in Table 1.
 
     As for the nominal indices of payroll per person engaged, year-on-year increases ranging from 1.8% to 3.8% were recorded in all selected industry sections surveyed in the third quarter of 2025, except the transportation, storage, postal and courier services section where a year-on-year decrease of 0.5% was recorded.
 
     For the real payroll indices, year-on-year increases ranging from 0.7% to 2.7% were recorded in all selected industry sections surveyed in the third quarter of 2025, except the transportation, storage, postal and courier services section where a year-on-year decrease of 1.5% was recorded.
 
     The year-on-year changes in the nominal and real indices of payroll per person engaged for selected industry sections from the third quarter of 2024 to the third quarter of 2025 are shown in Table 2. The quarterly changes in the seasonally adjusted nominal and real indices of payroll per person engaged in the same period are shown in Table 3.
 
Commentary
 
     A Government spokesman said that wages and labour earnings continued to grow in both nominal and real terms in the third quarter of 2025 over a year earlier. Average wage rate and payroll per person engaged of most selected industries recorded increases of varying degrees.
 
     Looking ahead, the solid expansion of the Hong Kong economy and the improving consumer confidence should render support to labour demand, which will be conducive to growth in wages and labour earnings.
 
Other Information
 
     Both wage indices and payroll indices are compiled quarterly based on the results of the Labour Earnings Survey (LES) conducted by C&SD. Wage index only covers employees up to the supervisory level (i.e. not including managerial and professional employees), whereas payroll index covers employees at all levels and proprietors actively engaged in the work of the establishment.
 
     Apart from the differences in employee coverage, wage statistics are conceptually different from the payroll statistics.  Firstly, wage rate for an employee refers to the sum earned for his normal hours of work. It covers basic wages and other regular and guaranteed allowances and bonuses, but excludes earnings from overtime work and discretionary bonuses, which are however included in payroll per person engaged. Secondly, the payroll index of an industry is an indicator of the simple average payroll received per person engaged in the industry. Its movement is therefore affected by changes in wage rates, number of hours of work and occupational composition in the industry. In contrast, the wage index of an industry is devised to reflect the pure changes in wage rate, with the occupational composition between two successive statistical periods being kept unchanged. In other words, the wage index reflects the change in the price of labour. Because of these conceptual and enumeration differences between payroll and wage statistics, the movements in payroll indices and in wage indices do not necessarily match closely with each other.
 
     It should also be noted that different consumer price indices are used for compiling the real indices of wage and payroll to take into account the differences in their respective occupation coverage. Specifically, the Composite Consumer Price Index, being an indicator of overall consumer prices, is taken as the price deflator for payroll of workers at all levels of the occupational hierarchy. The Consumer Price Index (A), being an indicator of consumer prices for the relatively low expenditure group, is taken as the price deflator for wages in respect of employees engaged in occupations up to the supervisory level.
 
     Detailed breakdowns of the payroll and wage statistics are published in the “Quarterly Report of Wage and Payroll Statistics, September 2025”. Users can browse and download the publication at the website of C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1050009&scode=210).
 
     For enquiries on wage and payroll statistics, please contact the Wages and Labour Costs Statistics Section (1) of C&SD (Tel:  2887 5550 or email: wage@censtatd.gov.hk).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Government announced today (December 30) the handover of a residential site in Tung Chung, i.e. Tung Chung Area 122 (TC122), to the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) for development of subsidised sale flats (SSFs).
 
     TC122 was originally one of the government sites identified for tender under the Private Subsidised Sale Flat – Pilot Scheme (the Pilot Scheme). The site is now handed over to the HKHS for development as one of its SSF projects, with around 1 600 SSFs estimated to be completed in 2031-32 preliminarily.
 
     “The Government has all along been pragmatically adjusting the development arrangements of different sites based on social demands and actual circumstances. The HKHS is a close partner of the Government on housing policies with profound experience in the development of SSFs. Having reviewed the latest situation, the Government believes that the handover of TC122 to the HKHS could expedite the development of the SSFs,” said a spokesman for the Housing Bureau.
 
     The Government announced in June 2023 the policy framework of the Pilot Scheme, with an aim to tap into market forces and boost overall development capacity. The Government is now closely keeping in view market developments, so as to review if there is a need to suitably adjust some of the key parameters of the Pilot Scheme as well as future tender arrangements for sites under the Pilot Scheme having regard to market conditions. Further announcements will be made in due course.

     “The handover of TC122 to the HKHS for development of SSFs is in line with the Government’s policy objectives of boosting SSF supply, helping the grassroots achieve home ownership and encouraging upward mobility. The Government believes this would be well received by the public. It will also continue to take forward other measures in respect of enhancing the housing ladder, so as to help citizens achieve home ownership,” the spokesman added.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     ​The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson today (December 30) announced a total of 15 Family Medicine Clinics (FMCs) will provide public holiday Family Medicine Outpatient Services on the New Year holiday (January 1, 2026) (see table below). Patients may book an appointment either through the telephone appointment system or the “Book FMC” function of the “HA Go” mobile app.
      
     The spokesperson reminded members of the public to stay vigilant to personal and environmental hygiene during the public holiday to avoid spreading diseases. Members of the public who develop respiratory symptoms should wear a mask and seek medical advice promptly. The HA appeals to non-emergency patients to avoid using accident and emergency (A&E) services and seek treatment at FMCs, private doctors or 24-hour outpatient services at private hospitals to reduce pressure on public hospital A&Es. Members of the public can visit the Health Bureau’s (HHB) Primary Care Directory (www.pcdirectory.gov.hk) to choose a family doctor and view related clinic service information. The HHB has also collated information of private hospitals, healthcare facilities, family doctors and Chinese medicine clinics that will be in operation during the New Year holiday across the city. The information (including addresses, phone numbers and operation hours) of the relevant hospitals and clinics has been uploaded to the online portal (www.map.gov.hk/gm/s/hhbclinic/all?lg=en) for public reference in collaboration with the Spatial Data Office of the Development Bureau and the Lands Department.
      
     Meanwhile, the spokesperson appeals to members of the public, especially high-risk groups, to get vaccinated early for seasonal influenza and COVID-19 to reduce the chance of infection for themselves and their family members, as well as to reduce critical cases and deaths.

Family Medicine Outpatient Services arrangements on the New Year Holiday (January 1, 2026)
 

Region	List of FMCs	Address	General Enquiry	Telephone Booking
Hong Kong Island	Aberdeen Jockey Club Family Medicine Clinic	10 Aberdeen Reservoir Road, Aberdeen	2555 0381	3543 5011
	Shau Kei Wan Jockey Club Family Medicine Clinic	1/F, 8 Chai Wan Road, Shau Kei Wan	2560 0211	3157 0077
	Wan Chai Violet Peel Family Medicine Clinic	LG/F, Tang Shiu Kin Hospital Community Ambulatory Care Centre, 282 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai	3553 3116	3157 0000
Kowloon	Kwun Tong Family Medicine Integrated Centre	UG/F, 60 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong	2389 0331	3157 0687
	Nam Cheong Family Medicine Clinic	G/F, Treasury Building, 3 Tonkin Street West, Cheung Sha Wan	3742 3876	3543 5795
	Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital Family Medicine Clinic	G/F, Out-patient Block, Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital, 118 Shatin Pass Road, Wong Tai Sin	2354 2267	3157 0118
	San Po Kong Robert Black Family Medicine Clinic	600 Prince Edward Road East, San Po Kong	2383 3311	3157 0113
	Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club Family Medicine Clinic	1/F, 145 Battery Street, Yau Ma Tei	2272 2400	3157 0880
New Territories	Lek Yuen Family Medicine Clinic	G/F, 9 Lek Yuen Street, Sha Tin	2692 8730	3157 0972
	North District Family Medicine Integrated Centre	3/F, North District Community Health Centre Building, 3 Wai Wo Street, Sheung Shui	2957 5186	3157 0965
	Tai Po Jockey Club Family Medicine Clinic	G/F, 37 Ting Kok Road, Tai Po	2664 2039	3157 0906
	Tseung Kwan O (Po Ning Road) Family Medicine Clinic	G/F, 28 Po Ning Road, Tseung Kwan O	2191 1083	3157 0660
	Tsuen Wan Lady Trench Family Medicine Clinic	213 Sha Tsui Road, Tsuen Wan	2614 4789	3157 0107
	Tuen Mun Family Medicine Clinic	11 Tsing Yin Street, San Hui, Tuen Mun	2452 9111	3543 0886
	Yuen Long Jockey Club Family Medicine Clinic	269 Castle Peak Road (Yuen Long), Yuen Long	2443 8511	3543 5007

Service hours: 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Government announced today (December 30) the membership list of the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification (HKCTC) in the new term for two years from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027.
       
     Professor Wong Wing-tak has been reappointed as the Chairman of the HKCTC. Six new members, namely Dr Kwok Tai-wai, Mr Norman Lee Shu-leung, Dr Lee Tak-yiu, Mr Robert Lok Pak-keung, Mr Tian Limao and Professor Joan Zuo Zhong have been appointed. In addition, 10 incumbent members have been reappointed.
      
     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, said, “Professor Wong has led the HKCTC with remarkable achievements over the past four years. We are confident that under his continued leadership and with the collective efforts of its members, the HKCTC will build upon its achievements, foster technological innovation in Hong Kong’s testing and certification industry, explore new opportunities and reach new heights.”
      
     Professor Sun also expressed gratitude to the six outgoing members, namely Dr Ann Leung, Mr Kenneth Leung Yuk-wai, Dr Wingco Lo Kam-wing, Dr Fanny Tang Wai-fan, Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han and Mr Wilson Wong Wing-wa for their strong support and active contribution to the work of the HKCTC.
      
     The membership list of the Council for the new term is as follows:
 
Chairman
———–
Professor Wong Wing-tak
 
Non-official members
————————
Ms Bess Choi Siu-fong
Mr Martin Fan
Dr Crystal Fok Lo-ming
Dr Gray Ho Koon-sing
Dr Emmie Ho Ngai-man
Ms Denise Hou Yuen-chi
Dr Kwok Tai-wai
Dr Lesly Lam Lik-shan
Ms Fiona Lee
Mr Norman Lee Shu-leung
Dr Lee Tak-yiu
Mr Robert Lok Pak-keung
Mr Robert Andrew Lui Chi-wang
Mr Joseph Poon Tim-leung
Mr Tian Limao
Professor Joan Zuo Zhong
 
Official members
——————-
Commissioner for Innovation and Technology or representative
Government Chemist or representative
Executive Director of Hong Kong Productivity Council or representative
Executive Director of Hong Kong Trade Development Council or representative
Executive Director of Vocational Training Council or representative
 
     The Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification was established in September 2009 to advise the Government on the overall development strategy of the testing and certification sector.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today (December 30) alerted members of the public to the following fraudulent WSD website addresses which asks recipients to pay water bills via a hyperlink provided.
 

• wsd.govi[.]qpon/hk
• wsd[.]giov[.]lat/hk
• wsd[.]pijhhsj[.]sbs

      
     The WSD stresses that the fraudulent websites have no connection with the WSD and the department has reported the cases to the Police. The spokesman said that members of the public who have registered for the WSD’s electronic services account and e-billing service must complete verification on the WSD website (www.wsd.gov.hk) before they can view their e-bills and obtain the Faster Payment System QR code on the bill for making payments.
      
     Members of the public should stay alert when receiving any unidentified emails or messages, and not visit any suspicious websites and disclose any personal information. Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the websites concerned or other suspcious websites should contact the Police. For enquiries, please call the WSD’s customer services hotline at 2824 5000.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, released the following information today (December 30) on the traffic and public transport arrangements during the New Year holidays.

     From January 1 to 4, in anticipation of a large number of members of the public, visitors and cross-boundary vehicles visiting various land-based boundary control points (BCPs), the Transport Department (TD) urged cross-boundary travellers to use public transport services between Hong Kong and the Mainland or Macao, plan their trips early and allow sufficient travelling time. The TD has been steering local and cross-boundary public transport operators (PTOs) to strengthen their services during the New Year holidays to meet passenger demand, including:

Early morning of New Year’s Day

(1) Lo Wu Control Point (passenger clearance services to be extended to 2am on New Year’s Day)

• The operating hours of the MTR East Rail Line will be extended correspondingly, with the last departure from Admiralty to Lo Wu extended to 0.56am;

(2) Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port (LMC/HG Port) (24-hour operations as usual)

• Travellers may take the MTR East Rail Line or other public transport services to Sheung Shui, interchange with franchised bus route No. N73 to Lok Ma Chau (San Tin) Public Transport Interchange, and then transfer to the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus) to the Mainland;
• PTOs will also strengthen the LMC/HG Port short-haul cross-boundary coach and the Yellow Bus services to cater for the peak passenger demand;

(3) Shenzhen Bay Port (SBP) (passenger and passenger vehicle clearance services to provide 24-hour operations)

• Franchised bus operators will operate two special overnight bus routes, Nos. NB2 and NB3, to provide services to and from Yuen Long/Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun respectively during the overnight period. Travellers may also take the MTR Tuen Ma Line to Yuen Long/Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun Stations, and interchange with route Nos. NB2 and NB3 to SBP respectively;
• The governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have also allocated special cross-boundary coach quotas for the operation of overnight services; and

(4) Hong Kong Port of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) (24-hour operations as usual)

• The frequency of the HZMB shuttle bus (Gold Bus) will be increased, if needed.

New Year’s Day daytime and long weekend of Mainland (January 1 to 4)
 

• BCP shuttle bus services will be strengthened, including increasing the frequencies of the Gold Bus and the Yellow Bus to cater for passenger demand;
• Cross-boundary coach services will be strengthened, including allocating additional cross-boundary coach quotas and enhancing the LMC/HG Port short-haul cross-boundary coach services;
• The frequency of local franchised bus B routes connecting various land-based BCPs will also be increased to a level higher than that of normal weekends, and the operators will reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to meet passenger demand; and
• The train services of the MTR East Rail Line between Admiralty and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau will be enhanced at different times during the above period to provide convenience for the travelling public and visitors.

Travel outside peak periods

     The TD anticipates that the waiting time for public transport services, including the Gold Bus and the local franchised bus B routes, may be longer during peak periods of cross-boundary travel. Passengers should avoid travelling during peak hours, observe order while queuing and heed advice from on-site police and PTO staff. Passengers planning to take cross-boundary coaches are also advised to reserve their coach tickets in advance.

     Of note, motorists of cross-boundary private cars crossing the border are advised that, subject to actual traffic conditions, special traffic arrangements may be implemented at the Lok Ma Chau and the Shenzhen Bay Port during New Year holidays to secure smooth access for public transport vehicles to the above BCPs. Cross-boundary private cars may experience longer waiting times when crossing the BCPs during the peak periods. Motorists should pay extra attention to variable message signs and traffic signs along the roads. In case of traffic congestion, they should remain patient and follow the instructions of on-site police.

Information dissemination

     For the HZMB, to plan their journeys ahead, members of the public can make use of the TD’s HKeMobility mobile app or website (hkemobility.gov.hk/en/traffic-information/live/cctv) to access snapshots of traffic conditions at inbound and outbound vehicle plazas of the HZMB Hong Kong Port. They can also check real-time situations of the vehicle clearance plaza of the Zhuhai Port through the WeChat official accounts “hzmbzhport” or “zhuhaifabu” (traffic-info.gzazhka.com:5015/#/) (Chinese only). Moreover, motorists are reminded to always comply with the traffic control measures implemented by the Zhuhai authority when driving on the HZMB Main Bridge. Vehicles must not occupy the emergency lane unless instructed by the Zhuhai authority.

     Residents and visitors may visit “Easy Boundary” (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/bwt/status.html?type=outbound), a one-stop information platform on immigration clearance launched by the Security Bureau, or the HKeMobility to obtain useful information, including the respective average waiting time for passengers and private cars at land-based BCPs, as well as for the Gold Bus and Yellow Bus to plan their trips and save waiting time. Members of the public are advised to check the latest traffic news through radio and television broadcasts, the TD’s website (www.td.gov.hk) and the HKeMobility.

     The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre operates round the clock to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services of various districts, the BCPs and major stations, and to implement contingency measures when necessary to meet service demands.

     The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements is tasked with holistically co-ordinating and steering the preparatory work of various government departments for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the New Year’s Eve and New Year holidays, as well as strengthening information dissemination to enable the public and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Education Bureau (EDB) today (December 30) announced that the 2025/26 round of applications under the Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education opens for applications from today to April 15, 2026. 
 
     The Scheme aims to provide financial support for eligible self-financing post-secondary education institutions to develop and enhance programmes that meet market needs but require high start-up costs, reducing institutions’ reliance on tuition fees to recover the costs, thus relieving the financial burden on students. It also supports institutions to better develop their own strengths and niche areas, strengthening strategic co-ordination among institutions. 
 
     Eligible institutions are as follows:
 
(a) Hong Kong Metropolitan University;

(b) approved post-secondary colleges under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320); and 

(c) post-secondary institutions registered under the Education Ordinance (Cap. 279). 

     The Scheme subsidises full-time locally accredited local self-financing sub-degree and undergraduate (including top-up degree) programmes, covering both the development of new programmes and the enhancement of existing ones. To enhance teaching and learning in designated academic areas, it supports projects of the following nature:
 
(a) significant development/enhancement of programme curricula and pedagogies; 

(b) recruitment/professional development of faculty members and teaching staff; 

(c) procurement/upgrade of market-standard equipment/facilities to meet academic and professional requirements; 

(d) provision of new/improvement to existing discipline-specific campus facilities/infrastructure; and 

(e) other relevant discipline-specific expenditure areas aligned with the objectives of the scheme. 

     Funding for each proposal will generally be capped at $42 million. The Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education will advise the Secretary for Education regarding the comparative merits of the proposals.
 
     In the 2024/25 round of applications, two out of seven applications were approved with a total grant of about $48 million, which supported the aviation services and surveying sectors in meeting the keen manpower demand of the relevant industries. Details of the projects are as follows:
 

Institution	Project	Approved grant (in million dollars)
Hong Kong Metropolitan University	Establishment of a Flight Simulation Laboratory for the Bachelor of Business Administration with Honours in Aviation Services Management Programme	22.4
Hong Kong Shue Yan University	Development of an Applied Degree in Surveying and Dispute Resolution	25.1

 
     The EDB will maintain close liaison with relevant institutions to make best use of the resources of the Scheme and launch the relevant programmes as soon as practicable.
 
     Further details of the Scheme and the approved projects are available at the designated website (www.cspe.edu.hk/en/esgs.html).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The World Bank Group published the second pilot Business Ready 2025 Report (Report) on December 29. The Report analyses the overall performance of economies under three pillars (Note 1) involving ten topics (Note 2) and assesses their business environment accordingly. The number of economies assessed is expanded from 50 economies last year to over 100 this year. According to the Report, among the three pillars, Hong Kong remains in the top 20 in “Operational Efficiency” and in the second quintile in “Regulatory Framework” and “Public Services”.

     “Some assessment results of the Report, such as those relating to ‘International Trade’, ‘Financial Services’, ‘Dispute Resolution’ etc., differ from the rankings and highly positive evaluations bestowed upon Hong Kong by many other international organisations. We note that the assessment methodology of the Report may result in an outdated and unfair comparison. Taking the pillar of ‘Operational Efficiency’ as an example, some of the data used to assess Hong Kong were collected shortly after the pandemic in 2023, while some of the data used for other economies’ assessment were collected in 2024,” a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government spokesman said.

     “This year’s report is still under the pilot phase and may have room for improvement on the assessment methodology and data comparability. The HKSAR Government will maintain communication with the World Bank Group to fully explain Hong Kong’s business environment and relevant policy measures. The HKSAR Government will also raise constructive feedback, striving to optimise the compilation of the Report,” the spokesman said.

Note 1: The three pillars include “Regulatory Framework”, “Public Services” and “Operational Efficiency”

Note 2: The ten topics are “Business Entry”, “Business Location”, “Utility Services”, “Labor”, “Financial Services”, “International Trade”, “Taxation”, “Dispute Resolution”, “Market Competition” and “Business Insolvency”.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) said today (December 29) that it is investigating an imported Mpox (also known as Monkeypox) case. The public is reminded to be vigilant and avoid close physical contact with persons suspected of contracting Mpox. High-risk target groups are strongly advised to receive the Mpox vaccinations.

     The case involves a male. He developed rash on December 18 while overseas, followed by skin ulcers and a fever. After returning to Hong Kong on December 25, he attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Tin Shui Wai Hospital. Due to persistent symptoms, he attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Pok Oi Hospital on December 27, and was arranged to admit to Tuen Mun Hospital for isolation. His sample tested positive for the Mpox virus upon laboratory testing by the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the CHP. The patient is currently in stable condition.
 
     According to the patient, he has not received the Mpox vaccination. He stayed overseas throughout the entire incubation period and had a history of high-risk exposure during that period. No epidemiological linkages between this case and other confirmed cases recorded in Hong Kong earlier could be identified so far. The CHP is continuing its epidemiological investigation into the case and will report it to the World Health Organization.

Hong Kong has put in place the Preparedness and Response Plan for Mpox since June 2022 and activated the alert response level under the Plan after the first confirmed case of Mpox in September of the same year. The CHP has implemented a series of measures (including enhanced surveillance, contact tracing, public education and vaccination), which have been effective in preventing local outbreaks of Mpox in the past three years.

Since 2022, a total of 84 Mpox cases (67 local and 17 imported) have been recorded in Hong Kong, of which 16 cases were recorded this year. All the patients were male. Epidemiological investigations revealed that most cases had history of high-risk sexual behaviour, including having sex with strangers or without wearing condoms when having sex. Hong Kong has not yet detected any new Mpox strain (Clade Ib) cases. 

The CHP reminded high-risk target groups to receive Mpox vaccinations in order to lower the risk of infection or the possibility of having more severe symptoms after infection. In addition, persons who experience Mpox symptoms (including rashes, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle pain, and severe headaches) or suspect themselves of being infected are advised to seek medical attention and receive treatment at once. They should not engage in activities with others that may expose others to their skin rash or body fluids. Members of the public should maintain good personal and hand hygiene to prevent virus transmission or infection through contact. They should also avoid close physical contact with persons or animals suspected of being infected.

The CHP has set up a telephone hotline (2125 2373), which operates from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, excluding public holidays. Those who suspect or are concerned that they may have had high-risk contact with confirmed cases, particularly men who have sex with men or those who have sexual practices with strangers, can use the hotline to make enquiries and receive relevant health advice.

Furthermore, the DH provides vaccination services to high-risk groups of Mpox. The following high-risk target groups are eligible for Mpox vaccinations on a voluntary basis:
 

1. individuals with high-risk sexual practices, e.g. having multiple sexual partners, sex workers, or having a history of sexually transmitted infection within the past 12 months;
2. healthcare workers responsible for caring for patients with confirmed Mpox;
3. laboratory personnel working with zoonotic pox viruses; and
4. animal care personnel with high risk of exposure in case of Mpox occurrences in animals in Hong Kong.

     High-risk target groups can receive Mpox walk-in vaccinations at any of the DH’s Social Hygiene Service Clinics (SocHS) (namely Chai Wan SocHS, Wan Chai Male SocHS, Wan Chai Female SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Male SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Female SocHS, Yung Fung Shee SocHS, Fanling SocHS and Tuen Mun SocHS) and the DH’s Yau Ma Tei Integrated Treatment Centre.

Meanwhile, the DH’s Kowloon Bay Integrated Treatment Centre and the Hospital Authority’s Special Medical Clinics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital also provide Mpox vaccination services for their clients.

For more details, please visit the CHP’s page on Mpox and Mpox Vaccination Programme.