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HEALTH4d agoHong Kong to roll out plain cigarette packs from March, full enforcement by DecemberHong Kong will introduce standardised cigarette packaging from March next year, with a nine-month transition period before full enforcement in December, as the city strips all branding and decorative design from packs and updates health warnings to reduce smoking rates. The Department of Health announced on Thursday that the new rules for smoking products will require all retail packs of cigarettes, long cigarette boxes and specified cigars to drop brand logos and advertising elements. Only...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 6‘There are trade-offs’: how Hong Kong patients can use telemedicine wiselyIn the fourth instalment of a five-part Health Matters wellness series on Hong Kong’s growing wellness trends, Lo Hoi-ying examines how telehealth is reshaping access to care, as practitioners warn it cannot fully replace in-person diagnosis. Hong Kong housewife Chan Ket-yee, nearly 60, has battled severe eczema on her neck and underarms for decades. Splitting her time between the United Kingdom and the city, Chan saw a dramatic improvement after visiting a Hong Kong public dermatologist, whose...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 6Hong Kong open to classifying heatstroke as an occupational disease: labour chiefHong Kong labour authorities are open to classifying heatstroke as an occupational disease, the city’s labour chief has said, acknowledging the revamped heat warning system would have triggered stronger alerts on two exceptionally hot days last month. Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-shum said retrospective modelling showed the revised system would have issued a black warning on August 8 and a red alert on August 9, when the Observatory recorded 36.9 degrees Celsius (98.4 Fahrenheit) at its...South China Morning Post
HEALTHSep 2Hong Kong police arrest clinic operator over sales of bogus ‘cancer vaccine’Hong Kong authorities have arrested a man and woman from a clinic on suspicion of selling a laboratory reagent as a bogus vaccine against more than 20 types of cancer. The arrests followed a joint operation by the Department of Health and police, during which investigators raided 13 premises linked to the company, said Frank Chan Ling-fung, an assistant director of health who oversees drug matters. Chan said there had been no reports of illness among people who had received the “WT1 cancer...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 31Hong Kong students, high-risk cases can get flu vaccines 1 week early this yearHong Kong school students and other residents deemed at risk can receive their influenza vaccines one week earlier this year, after the government diversified its procurement efforts and streamlined administrative measures. Authorities also said on Monday it would aim to boost the injection rate among people aged 65 or above and those aged six months to two years, adding that they would rely on reminders from doctors during medical encounters as a prioritised measure. Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin,...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 30FROM PATIENTS TO CITIZENS: RETHINKING SCHIZOPHRENIA CARE IN HONG KONG[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] In Hong Kong, around 40,000 people live with schizophrenia. Many move through a system designed to stabilise symptoms—reduce hallucinations, manage medication, shorten hospital stays. But once the symptoms are controlled, a more difficult question lingers: what kind of life are people returning to? For Professor Sylvia KWOK from the Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences (SS) at City University of Hong Kong...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 26Hong Kong customs seizes HK$11m of suspected sex pills, cancer drugs at warehouseHong Kong customs officers have seized suspected men’s sexual health pills and cancer treatment drugs worth more than HK$11 million (US$1.4 million) in a Sheung Shui warehouse, arresting two people. Inspector Shirley Woo Suet‑yi of the syndicate crimes investigation bureau at the Customs and Excise Department said on Wednesday that officers had noticed a rising demand for controlled pharmaceutical products in recent weeks. Investigators launched the probe early this month and identified an...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 25Hong Kong’s Chinese Medicine Hospital to start 24-hour inpatient services in DecemberThe Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong will launch 24-hour inpatient services in December, the first of its kind in the city, and charge patients HK$980 (US$125) per day for subsidised care, more than three times the fee at public hospitals. The city’s first dedicated traditional Chinese medicine hospital will also launch 10 additional special disease programmes within this year to help treat conditions such as eczema and Parkinson’s disease. The hospital, which was opened last December in...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 19Hong Kong unveils its first dedicated psychiatric facility for under-18sHong Kong’s main psychiatric hospital has unveiled the city’s first facility exclusively dedicated to child and adolescent patients, as part of a wider redevelopment that offers upgraded wards designed to enhance service quality and foster recovery. The redevelopment of Kwai Chung Hospital has increased the total construction floor area from 80,000 to 134,000 square metres, ensuring it can provide 1,000 beds for psychiatric patients. It also involved the reallocation of specialist outpatient...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 18Infertility may affect 79.6 million women by 2036, posing challenge for Hong KongGlobal infertility cases among women aged 35 to 49 will rise by nearly 50 per cent over the next decade, reaching 79.64 million, a study shows, posing a major public health challenge for Hong Kong as delayed childbearing becomes increasingly common. The study, co-led by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and shared on Tuesday, said the city’s average maternal age was among the world’s highest and called for stronger fertility education and earlier reproductive planning rather than a primary focus...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 18Hong Kong scrambles to contain cholera outbreak in 1961 – from the SCMP archiveThis article was first published on August 18, 1961. Hong Kong declared infected area Authorities adopt strict measures against cholera Stringent health measures to protect Hong Kong have been taken following the confirmation yesterday (August 17, 1961) of four cases of cholera and the declaration of the Colony as an infected area. There have been two deaths from the disease and another suspect has been admitted to Lai Chi Kok Hospital. Mobile teams of health inspectors with police officers have...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 14Hong Kong teen’s will to fight illness ‘incredibly low’ after near-death scaresA teenager who fears dying young has narrowly escaped death twice this year after contracting influenza and respiratory virus infection, enduring what he described as his “most emotionally devastating breakdown”. Chen Tsz-kin, 17, was diagnosed with the incurable muscle-wasting disease at the age of 18 months and was told that people with the condition had an average life expectancy of 18. In a Facebook post on Thursday, he revealed that he had experienced two near-death episodes this year,...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 13McDonald’s Hong Kong pulls shrimp burgers after Taiwan detects antibiotic residueMcDonald’s has temporarily removed its popular Ebi Burger series from its menu in Hong Kong as a “precautionary measure”, following a similar suspension in Taiwan due to food safety concerns, despite the shrimp patties used in the local items coming from a different production batch. Taiwan McDonald’s announced on Thursday morning that it had immediately suspended sales of “Ebi Burger” and “Double Ebi Burger” after an importer notified it the night before that random batch testing on the shrimp...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 12Hong Kong baby food producer recalls pastas over rice weevil scareA Hong Kong baby food producer has voluntarily recalled several products from store shelves as a precaution after parents and online users raised concerns that they might contain rice weevils. Baby Basic said on Wednesday that the recall covered “instant baby congee – konbu salmon”, with an expiry date of June 22, 2027, and three varieties of its “instant rice-shaped pasta”: salmon and cream; tomato and chicken; and vegetable and beef. It also suspended production of all three pasta...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 11Hong Kong urges parents not to delay childhood vaccinations as US limits jabsHong Kong authorities have defended the city’s childhood vaccination programme after the United States scaled back its immunisation recommendations, stressing that public health policies should not be “arbitrarily altered”. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Tuesday that all public health policies and medical recommendations had to be based on scientific evidence. “Vaccination schedules should not be altered arbitrarily without reliable scientific data or medical research supporting...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 4Water dispenser linked to legionnaires’ disease case in private Hong Kong hospitalAn 89-year-old patient at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital is highly likely to have contracted legionnaires’ disease after drinking water from a contaminated dispenser, health authorities have said. The Centre for Health Protection confirmed on Tuesday that samples from devices dispensing cooled boiled water at the private hospital in Happy Valley tested positive for Legionella pneumophila at levels far above the safety threshold for high‑risk areas of hospitals. Genetic testing found that...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 4Boy, 7, dies in Hong Kong’s first fatal paediatric flu case of 2026Hong Kong recorded the first fatal paediatric case of influenza this year after a seven-year-old boy died on Tuesday, nine days after displaying symptoms. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said that the boy, who had been in good health, developed a cough and runny nose on July 27 and a fever on Saturday, before his condition deteriorated on Monday when he became less responsive. He was admitted in critical condition to the paediatric intensive care unit at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 4Shenzhen authorities order stop to illegal dental services, misleading ads in Hong KongShenzhen’s health authorities have issued a warning to private medical service providers, urging them to halt unauthorised operations and marketing activities in Hong Kong after local officials alerted their mainland Chinese counterparts to an unlicensed dental practice in the city. The warning from the Public Hygiene and Health Commission of Shenzhen Municipality came a week after Hong Kong police arrested a 72-year-old local man on July 23 for allegedly practising dentistry illegally at a...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 3Hong Kong IVF clinic worker lied to cover up embryo specimen mix-up, flees cityAn employee of a Hong Kong fertility clinic is suspected of lying to cover up a mistake involving mixed-up embryo biopsy specimens, the South China Morning Post has learned, with police listing the case as fraud and placing the worker, who has returned to Malaysia, on the wanted list. A source said the employee worked at Heal Fertility in Central and was responsible for extracting specimens from embryos before they were sent to the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for testing. In late...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 2How can Hong Kong retirees ease the pain of rising healthcare costs?Retiree Philip Kong says he realised Hong Kong’s healthcare system needed a wake-up call when he discovered that receiving treatment for his prostate condition in neighbouring Shenzhen could potentially cut his medical bill by nearly 90 per cent. The 75-year-old was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate earlier this year and set to pay HK$210,000 (US$26,780) for a scheduled surgery at Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital – until a family friend, who is a urologist, suggested another option. The...South China Morning Post
HEALTHAug 2Shady lip service: experts warn against illicit beauty treatments in Hong KongBeauticians from outside Hong Kong are performing illegal cosmetic procedures such as botulinum toxin and filler injections in the city, with middlemen setting up online “secret societies” or chat groups for customers to share information, industry experts have revealed. A beauty industry expert and a plastic surgeon said they had seen or received reports of botched procedures by beauty practitioners allegedly from mainland China or overseas. The industry insider said these beauticians did not...South China Morning Post
HEALTHJul 31Residents sign directives as Hong Kong’s new end-of-life law takes effectHong Kong octogenarian Chan Yiu-kuen is ready to let death take its course when the time comes. The 89-year-old said she would sign an advance medical directive to clearly indicate which life-sustaining treatments she would not want if she became terminally ill. “It is OK to depart the world at my old age. Better not to rescue me further, as it could be hard for me,” said Chan, who is mentally capable and has no major illnesses. Chan is among residents signing directives with the help of doctors...South China Morning Post
HEALTHJul 30Hong Kong must add specialised services to tackle rising youth suicides, NGO saysHong Kong should integrate specialised intervention services into its youth suicide response strategy, an NGO has said, as the number of minors taking their own lives reached a 10-year high in 2025. Citing the coroners’ report, the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong said on Thursday that 1,019 suicides were recorded last year, equivalent to 13.57 per 100,000 population. This was down from the 10-year peak of 1,138 suicide cases in 2024. However, suicides among those aged 19 or younger rose to 47,...South China Morning Post
HEALTHBREAKINGJul 28Hong Kong parents rush babies for check-ups over infant formula lead scareSouth China Morning Post
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