HONG KONG: The Hong Kong government is closing a popular park for a month following reports of 11 people contracting the mosquito-borne dengue fever in four days.
At least nine of the patients who tested positive for dengue fever had visited Lion Rock Country Park on the Kowloon Peninsula for recreational activities or work in early August, according to Wong Ka-hing, controller of the Centre for Health Protection.
“We believe the source of infection is related to the park. Temporarily shutting the park will be an effective preventive measure,” Wong said.
All of the infected patients are in stable condition, he added.
Chui Tak-yi, undersecretary for Food and Health, said various agencies were teaming up for activities across the territory to prevent mosquito breeding.
All 11 cases were considered local ones recorded this year. There were 56 imported dengue cases in which people were believed to have contracted the disease overseas.
More than 100 dengue cases were recorded each year in the past few years, the centre’s records show.
Dengue fever is transmitted to humans through the bites of infective female Aedes mosquitoes. Although the disease cannot be transmitted directly from human to human, a vector mosquito that bit an infected individual could spread the disease by biting other people.
Wong said the outbreak is “not yet out of control”.