A senior Hong Kong health official has warned of a higher risk of influenza infection as vaccination rates fall and the city’s summer flu season stretches on, following the death of a second unvaccinated child from influenza.
Centre for Health Protection controller Edwin Tsui Lok-kin issued the warning as Hong Kong’s current flu season, which began in June, shows no sign of easing. He said authorities were monitoring possible changes in how the virus spreads after two consecutive summer flu seasons.
“Since September 17, we have administered more than 900,000 doses of the flu vaccine. Compared with the same period last year, when we had given one million doses, there has been a slight decrease of about 10 per cent,” Tsui said.
“Last year, the flu season was pretty much over by week 18. We are now at about week 16, with no sign of it waning. So I expect this year’s season to be longer than last year’s,” he said, attributing the change to a shift in the virus strain.