Hong Kong Mpox Case Linked to Mong Kok Sauna Hut Prompting Temporary Closure
Thirty-Nine-Year-Old Man Diagnosed as Hong Kong Records Twenty-Two Mpox Cases in Two Months
A thirty-nine-year-old man who developed rashes on his back and buttocks last Monday has tested positive for mpox, pushing Hong Kong's total caseload over the past two months to 22 infections.
Shanghai Street Sauna Venue Linked to Multiple High-Risk Exposures
During the incubation period, the infected man visited a premises known as “Hutong” located on Shanghai Street in Mong Kok multiple times, engaging in high-risk sexual contact with other unfamiliar men on the site. In response to these findings, the Centre for Health Protection advised that the venue be temporarily closed starting today. Police and health officials conducted an onsite investigation at the establishment and provided health education to staff members, who currently show no symptoms.
Historical Parallels and Ongoing Outbreak Metrics Across the Special Administrative Region
The same Mong Kok venue was linked to an mpox cluster in May, which involved at least five epidemiologically connected cases. Health authorities indicate that Hong Kong has recorded 115 total mpox cases since 2022, comprising 91 local infections and 24 imported cases, all affecting male patients. The thirty-one total cases registered so far this year include twenty-four local infections and seven imported cases. The 22 cases logged since August account for roughly seventy percent of this year’s entire total, prompting public health officials to expand vaccine accessibility.
Expanded Vaccination Services and Public Health Interventions Scheduled
To curb further community transmission among men who have sex with men—where genomic sequencing suggests multiple active transmission chains share common sources—the Centre for Health Protection arranged targeted vaccination services. Officials continue to urge anyone who visited the Shanghai Street premises on or after September 14 to contact the dedicated mpox telephone hotline at 2125 2373 for health assessments and diagnostic testing.
