Editorial | 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.