Hong Kong’s winter flu season has started, health authorities warn, with number of outbreaks doubling in a week
- Centre for Health Protection says flu activity expected to further increase in coming weeks, urges residents to ‘heighten their vigilance’
- Number of outbreaks of flu-like illnesses almost doubled to 21 in the period from Sunday to Wednesday
Hong Kong’s winter flu season has started, health authorities have warned, with the number of outbreaks in schools and care homes doubling this week.
The Centre for Health Protection on Thursday said influenza activity was expected to further increase in the coming weeks, and urged residents to “heighten their vigilance” and step up personal protection against the virus.
“According to the surveillance data as at January 6, local seasonal influenza activity has continued to increase and exceeded the baseline thresholds, indicating that Hong Kong has entered the winter influenza season,” the centre said.
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Official data showed that nearly 12 per cent of respiratory specimens handled by public laboratories tested positive for the virus last week, exceeding the threshold indicating the start of the flu surge season.
Most of the infections, or around 77 per cent, were influenza A subtype H3.
The admission rate to public hospitals for people with a primary diagnosis of flu passed the level signalling the start of the surge period in the last week of December. The rate increased further in the first week this month.
The rate was highest among children aged five or below, at 3.819 per 10,000. Following that were people aged 65 or older, with a rate of 1.356.
Outbreaks of flu-like illnesses started to increase after the Christmas and New Year holidays, with 11 recorded last week in primary schools, residential care homes for the elderly and the disabled, hospitals and a special school.
But the number almost doubled to 21 in the period from Sunday to Wednesday, with 91 people affected. Most cases, involving 13 outbreaks, were reported by primary schools.
Schools have been reminded to take measures to lower flu transmission, such as checking students’ body temperatures daily.
Students and staff with a fever should not attend school even if they did not have respiratory symptoms, the centre said.
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Schools should also report an increase in fever or respiratory illnesses among students or staff to health authorities.
Severe flu cases among adults, referring to those admitted to intensive care units or who had died, rose to 33 last week from 23 in the previous seven-day period.
Since the start of the year, two children, aged 13 months and 11 years, had suffered from brain inflammation and severe pneumonia after contracting flu. They had not received the latest flu jab.
The flu season in Hong Kong usually lasts eight to 12 weeks.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau told the Post earlier this week that he expected the flu surge period would last until March, reaching its peak around late February.
Separately, overall activity of Covid-19 had also “increased remarkably”, the centre said.
The proportion of Covid-positive respiratory specimens handled by public laboratories increased to 6.8 per cent last week, from 4.88 per cent the previous week.
The Covid-19 viral load in sewage also continued to rise.
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Members of the public, especially high-risk groups such as the elderly and children, were urged to receive flu and Covid-19 vaccines as soon as possible to lower the risks of serious illness and death.
People taking public transport or visiting crowded places were also advised to wear a surgical mask.
Lo previously said the city was better prepared for the flu surge period with higher vaccination rates against the respiratory infection and Covid-19, compared with during the fifth coronavirus wave two years ago.
Almost 95 per cent of the city’s population had received some form of protection against Covid-19 through vaccination or infection, and the flu inoculation rate had also improved this year.
