Do the right thing, get those flu jabs ahead of the Hong Kong winter season
- With vaccinations now freely available, those from high-risk groups have no excuse to ignore warnings of city’s health professionals
Many of us want a break from discussing viruses and health measures after years of pandemic vigilance. But such fatigue must not distract from the advice of Hong Kong health authorities that are now trying to get the most vulnerable vaccinated against flu before another peak infection season arrives.
The city’s winter outbreak of seasonal flu is expected to emerge in February, which is later than usual, according to top government health advisers. Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, an infectious diseases expert from the University of Hong Kong, said on Saturday the summer flu cycle was “delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic”.
To prepare for the next round, flu jabs for children have been identified as top priority by health adviser Professor David Hui Shu-cheong of Chinese University. He recently urged parents not to ignore such advice, citing experience over the summer months when most children who fell severely ill had not received influenza shots.
Tragically, the first child fatality from influenza this year was a previously healthy five-year-old girl who fell ill in mid-September and died days later.
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Door-to-door vaccine services for housebound elderly and disabled residents in Hong Kong
Flu is also a serious threat to the elderly and other vulnerable groups. Since the summer flu season, starting from early May until mid-August, more than 15,000 patients with infections have been admitted to public hospitals.
Some 546 severe cases and 384 deaths were recorded. Health experts are warning that numbers will continue to rise as the school year continues.
Young and old may be affected by an “immunity debt” after years of little or no contact with flu. The Department of Health said around 70 per cent of residents and staff at care homes for the elderly were vaccinated over the previous year, while the rate for children aged 12 or younger was roughly 50 per cent.
Clearly, there is more work to be done. It is good to see the launch of a free outreach programme by the Centre for Health Protection.
Medical professionals have also begun visiting schools to administer jabs, and an influenza vaccination subsidy scheme offering free flu shots to eligible groups, such as children aged from six months to 17 years and those aged 50 or older, has started.
Previously healthy girl, 5, Hong Kong’s first child flu fatality of year
Coronavirus cases may also peak in the city over the next few months. Dr Wilson Lam, vice-president of the Hong Kong Society for Infectious Diseases, recommends that vulnerable groups receive vaccinations against seasonal flu and Covid-19 annually.
He said otherwise healthy individuals should also consider getting both jabs to protect their families
Preventive vaccines are at our disposal. It is important that everyone does their part to help put public health tools to best use.
