Polar vortex might be over but legacy remains as spike in flu cases hits Hong Kong
Peak flu period arrives four weeks later than it did last year, when the virus claimed 496 lives
Delayed but never missed, the winter peak for flu infections has finally hit Hong Kong, although it appears to be much milder than the outbreak last year which claimed 496 lives in four months.
The spike in cases comes as the city expects a cold weekend under the influence of a winter monsoon over the coastal areas of Guangdong, with the temperature predicted to continue to drop early next week to a minimum of 11 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, with a maximum daytime reading of 14 degrees.
The Centre for Health Protection is beginning collaboration with public hospitals on rebooting a reporting system for severe seasonal cases, the centre said.
“The latest flu virus surveillance shows Hong Kong has now entered the winter influenza season, as virus activity continues to increase,” the centre said in its weekly report Flu Express.
Watch: China and Hong Kong shiver from cold spell
At public clinics, an average of 5.8 doctor consultations per 1,000 were due to flu-like illnesses, higher than the 4.7 recorded in the previous week. Among private practices, it rose to 69 cases from 55.3 in the previous week. That compares to 9.4 cases in public clinics and 69.4 cases for private doctors last year.
So far this winter, a total of 30 flu outbreaks have been reported at kindergartens, primary schools and elderly care homes, affecting 202 people.
READ MORE: Hong Kong people urged to get their flu shots before vaccines run out
The beginning of the peak flu period has arrived four weeks later this year compared to last year, when it began in the first week of January.
By week four last year, there were already 122 cases of influenza that resulted in admissions to intensive care units, of which 64 were fatal cases. But no flu-associated deaths have been reported this year as of yesterday.
When the peak ended last April, a death toll of 469 had been recorded, most of those elderly residents, children or people with underlying illnesses.
The severity of the flu pandemic last year was fuelled by the World Health Organisation’s erroneous prediction on which would be the dominant strain of the virus, an error that led to a mismatch with vaccines.
This year, flu jabs offered under the government’s vaccination programme seem to be offering protection against the dominant strains circulating, including H1 and H3.
A spokesman for the centre warned that the flu can cause serious illnesses in high-risk individuals and even healthy persons.
He reminded high-risk groups – including children aged between six months and six years, the elderly aged 65 years or above, and people with underlying illnesses or with intellectual disabilities – to get a flu jab as soon as possible.
