DH to provide free measles vaccinations to eligible airport staff starting tomorrow to enhance herd immunity within airport community
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Follow-up on measles cluster involving airport backend support staff
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The CHP recently announced a measles cluster involving three backend support staff responsible for aircraft repair and maintenance. All three work for the same company. As of 1pm today, no new cases of measles had been recorded.
"The CHP's epidemiological investigation indicates that the source of infection was the confirmed case announced on April 6. This patient travelled to Indonesia during the incubation period and is believed to have contracted the measles virus there. He worked at the airport on April 3, which was within the communicable period (i.e. four days before to four days after onset of a rash). The other two cases were on duty during the same shift as the patient that day. It is highly likely that they were infected with the measles virus at work, constituting a cluster of workplace transmissions triggered by an imported case. None of the three patients in this outbreak knew whether they had been vaccinated against measles," said the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui.
The workplace associated with this measles cluster has about 2 500 employees, approximately 900 of whom are non-local residents. Data collected during the epidemiological investigation revealed that around 30 per cent of the employees are unsure whether they are immune to measles. As of 1 pm today, the CHP had provided vaccination services to more than 370 employees of the company concerned. So far, no secondary transmission among close contacts has been detected.
Measles vaccination booth at airport
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Currently, measles outbreaks continue to occur worldwide. Given that airport staff frequently come into contact with large numbers of travellers and that a higher proportion of employees in the airport community are not born locally and may not have received the measles vaccine during childhood, the risk of measles transmission is relatively high. During the investigation into the recent cluster, the CHP found that approximately 30 per cent of the airport staff, especially those who were not born in Hong Kong, were unsure whether they had completed the two-dose measles vaccination series. In 2019, Hong Kong International Airport experienced a measles outbreak involving airport staff. To control the outbreak at that time, the CHP arranged a one-off measles vaccination for airport staff. In order to prevent another measles outbreak among airport staff, the CHP will set up a vaccination booth at the airport starting tomorrow to provide local airport staff with free measles vaccination. The CHP and the Airport Authority Hong Kong will co-ordinate and arrange for eligible airport staff from various companies to visit the vaccination booth in an orderly manner.
Dr Tsui urged all airport staff, especially those non-locally born people, to review their vaccination records as soon as possible. The measles vaccination service targets Hong Kong airport staff who have not received two doses of the measles vaccine and have never had measles. If a Hong Kong airport employee has undergone a blood test confirming a positive reaction to measles antibodies (IgG), vaccination is not required.
Non-airport staff should also review their vaccination records
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Under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, the overall immunisation coverage in Hong Kong has been maintained at a very high level through the immunisation services provided by the DH's Maternal and Child Health Centres and School Immunisation Teams. As evidenced by the findings on vaccination coverage of primary school students and the territory-wide immunisation surveys conducted regularly by the DH, the two-dose measles vaccination coverage has remained consistently high, well above 95 per cent, and the local seroprevalence rates of measles virus antibodies reflect that most people in Hong Kong are immune to measles.
However, since measles outbreaks are currently occurring in many regions around the world, Hong Kong, as a city with a high volume of international travel, still faces the potential risk of importation of the measles virus and its further spread in the local community. A small number of people who have not completed a measles vaccination (such as non-locally born people including new immigrants, foreign domestic helpers, overseas employees and people coming to Hong Kong for further studies) are still at risk of being infected and spreading measles to other people who do not have immunity against measles, such as children under 1 year old who have not yet received the first dose of the measles vaccine.
In response to the global rise in measles cases and the risk of imported cases, the CHP sent a letter to all doctors in Hong Kong earlier, informing them of the latest situation regarding measles and urging them to remain vigilant and report any suspected cases. In addition to the airport industry mentioned above, the CHP has also sent a letter to foreign domestic helper agencies earlier, encouraging foreign domestic helpers to receive the measles vaccine to protect their health and prevent the spread of the virus in the community.
The incubation period of measles (i.e. the time from infection to onset of illness) is seven to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes. If travellers returning from places with a high incidence or an outbreak of measles develop symptoms of measles (e.g. fever and rash), they should seek medical advice immediately and avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially pregnant women and infants under 1 year old. They should also report their symptoms and prior travel history to healthcare workers so that appropriate infection control measures can be implemented at the healthcare facilities to prevent any potential spread.
The Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme introduced a measles vaccine for the first time in 1967. Since then, the incidence of measles has gradually decreased. People born and raised in Hong Kong before 1967 can be considered to have acquired immunity to measles through natural infection, as measles was endemic in Hong Kong at that time. People born in Hong Kong in or after 1967 who have not yet completed the two doses of measles vaccination, or whose measles vaccination history is unknown, should consult their family doctors as soon as possible to complete the vaccination and ensure adequate protection against measles.
Besides being vaccinated against measles, members of the public should take the following measures to prevent infection:
- Maintain good personal and environmental hygiene;
- Maintain good indoor ventilation;
- Keep hands clean and wash hands properly;
- Wash hands when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions, such as after sneezing;
- Cover the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharge properly;
- Clean used toys and furniture properly; and
- Persons with measles should be kept out of school until four days from the appearance of a rash to prevent the spread of the infection to non-immune persons in school.
For more information on measles, the public may visit the CHP's measles thematic page. Members of the public who are going to travel can visit the website of the DH's Travel Health Service for news of measles outbreaks outside Hong Kong.
Ends/Thursday, April 23, 2026
Issued at HKT 17:36
Issued at HKT 17:36
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