Last week, Hong Kong recorded its first case of chikungunya fever since 2019, swiftly followed by three more confirmed cases by Wednesday, August 6. The unfamiliar nature of the virus, more commonly seen in South and Southeast Asia, is giving rise to a lot of questions and concerns among Hong Kong residents fearful of an outbreak.

An outbreak of the chikungunya virus in China has prompted authorities to take preventive measures from mosquito nets and clouds of disinfectant, threatening fines for people who fail to disperse standing water and even deploying drones to hunt down insect breeding grounds.