The WONCA World Conference 2025 is to be held in Lisbon, Portugal from 17th to 21st September 2025 and the theme of the conference is “New vision for primary health care and sustainable development”. The organiser recently announced that there would be over 3500 participants from 114 countries joining the conference. Our College’s Chief Censor, Prof Cindy Lam, has been invited to be one of the keynote speakers for the coming conference and she will be delivering her talk entitled, “AI & Family Medicine – The Human Touch of Primary Care, Art is Long”, on 21st September from 10:15 to 10:45. (please click) There will also be active participation by HKCFP Fellows and members in seminars, oral and e-poster presentations. Do come and join us as part of the HKCFP delegation! 

Chikungunya fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the Chikungunya virus, has been found in over 110 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, according to Centre of Health Protection (CHP). (please click) As of August 1, there were more than 7 200 cases in Foshan. The majority of cases (6 230 cases) were 

concentrated in Shunde District of Foshan. All cases were mild, with no severe or fatal cases. A smaller number of confirmed cases were also recorded in other cities in Guangdong Province. In Macao SAR, six imported cases and two local cases were identified since mid-July. (please click) Therefore, it is important to enquire about recent travel history when seeing patients with suspected vector borne diseases. 

The commonest mode of transmission of Chikungunya fever is through the bites of infective female Aedes mosquitoes.  Locally, the vector Aedes aegypti is not found, but Aedes albopictus, which can also spread the disease, is a mosquito commonly found in Hong Kong. These mosquitoes may have peaks of activity in the early morning and late afternoon but they can be biting throughout the day. Once bitten, the incubation period commonly lasts for 3 to 8 days, but it can range from 2 to 12 days. (please click) 

The disease is characterised by fever and debilitating joint pain and other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The symptoms are usually self-limiting and last for a few days, while in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years. Rarely would patients affected by Chikungunya fever have severe symptoms and deaths from Chikungunya are rare. Occasionally, severe complications of the eye, heart and nerves can happen with the infection. Higher risk group for more severe disease include newborns, elders or patients with underlying medical conditions. Patients who have been infected before are likely to be immune from future Chikungunya virus infections according to available evidence.

Treatment is mainly supportive, including using anti-pyretics, analgesics and replacement of fluids. There is currently no targeted antiviral treatment for Chikungunya fever. The best preventive measure is to avoid mosquito bites and prevent mosquito proliferation. There is no locally registered Chikungunya fever vaccine available in Hong Kong at present. 

Prevention of mosquito bites plays an important role in fighting against the disease, which includes wearing loose, light-coloured, long-sleeved tops and trousers, applying DEET-containing insect repellent on exposed parts of the body and clothing, taking additional preventive measures when engaging in outdoor activities like avoid using fragrant cosmetics or skin care products, re-apply insect repellent according to instructions, if both insect repellent and sunscreen are used, apply insect repellent after sunscreen. Preventing mosquito proliferation is also important, helping to stop the spread of the disease. That entails preventing accumulation of stagnant water, controlling vectors and reservoir of diseases. 

As family doctors, we should maintain high vigilance against Chikungunya fever and CHP has reminded that all patients with compatible clinical presentations and a recent travel history to areas with current outbreak or endemic areas should be reported to the Central Notification Office (CENO) of the CHP by fax (2477 2770), by phone (2477 2772), or via the CENO On-line website (please click). (please click) Further information about control and prevention of mosquito breeding can be found at the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department website. (please click) And more update on mosquito-borne diseases, dengue fever and Chikungunya fever can be found at the CHP website. (please click)

The Medical Workers' Day (中國醫師節) has been designated to be 19th Aug since 2018 by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It is a day to celebrate the achievements and great work of the medical health care professionals who have dedicated their energy and great efforts in maintaining the health of the nation and protect public health. This year, the Hong Kong Chinese Medical Association Limited co-organised with the Department of Health, the Hospital Authority, the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, the LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association Limited for a celebration evening on 11th August at the City Hall to celebrate the 8th Medical Workers' Day. (please click) The Hong Kong College of Family Physicians College Council attended the celebration and thanks to the organisers’ great arrangements, it was a very enjoyable evening and definitely a great occasion to remember.