Advance flu shots, Hong Kong doctors tell parents and schools after girl’s death

Hong Kong schools and parents should bring forward flu vaccination appointments for children and strengthen control measures, infectious disease specialists have said, warning that influenza B is just as dangerous as type A. They issued the call on Monday, after a 13-year-old girl who had not received the seasonal flu vaccination died in hospital on Sunday following an influenza B infection. The case is the first paediatric flu-related death in Hong Kong this year. “School administrations should consider liaising with immunisation teams for earlier vaccine appointments,” said Dr Mike Kwan Yat-wah, president of the Asian Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases. “Parents can also get their children vaccinated through other ways, such as private doctors.” He also stressed that serious complications could arise from seasonal flu. According to Kwan, the influenza B virus can cause myocarditis – an inflammation of the inner muscular layer of the heart – or affect other organs. The influenza A virus, meanwhile, can lead to encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain. “We should not underestimate influenza B or think that it’s not as dangerous as influenza A,” Kwan said. He recommended wearing a mask in crowded spaces and reminded the public of the importance of personal hygiene, advising frequent hand cleaning to avoid catching viruses left on surfaces by patients, as influenza could be spread through droplets. The previously healthy girl developed symptoms, including a fever, coughing, a sore throat and a runny nose, on October 5, according to the Centre for Health Protection. She then collapsed at home on October 9, and was initially admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin before being transferred to Hong Kong Children’s Hospital. The pupil, who attended TWGHs Wong Fung Ling College in Ma On Shan, was vaccinated under the government’s 2024-25 seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) programme but had not received the jab for the current 2025-26 season, the centre added. The programme at government facilities, such as public hospitals, began on September 25, while private doctors started providing free or subsidised jabs for those eligible on September 22. Kwan said it was not possible to make an educated guess about why the girl died; it could have been due to a large viral load or a compromised immune system with latent illnesses. But Kwan said he would not consider her situation an isolated case. He said there were many serious cases before June last year, adding that the only way to prevent them, as well as the spread of viruses in the community, was through large-scale vaccination. Kwan said protection from vaccine antibodies last year would have waned after six to nine months, with new strains of seasonal influenza potentially emerging each year. He said that parents and schools must be vigilant as there were also outbreaks across other parts of Asia, such as Japan, Thailand and Indonesia. Infectious diseases specialist Dr Joseph Tsang Kay-yan said the summer seasonal influenza started around late August and early September, with a positivity rate standing between 6.9 and 16.1 per cent, exceeding the baseline of between 4.9 and 12.4 per cent, according to data from the centre. “That is to say, compared with previous years, this seasonal influenza is spreading more rapidly and has arrived in greater volume. If we rely only on vaccination, we might not be able to keep pace with the situation at hand,” Tsang said. “If there is an outbreak in neighbouring regions, the Department of Health and the Education Bureau should think of ways to reduce the number of cases at schools. “Is there a need for compulsory mask-wearing? It’s something we have to explore.” Tsang said annual flu vaccines targeted different viral strains, adding that while drug companies across the world usually commenced production in March, the vaccines typically arrived in Hong Kong no earlier than September. “There may be administrative work for pharmaceutical companies to allocate supplies to the government, private or public hospitals, which takes time. Vaccinations are often only available from mid- to late October onwards,” he added. Tsang noted that whether this timeline could be shortened might require looking into. “Typically, our influenza vaccination programme is concentrated to address the winter flu season, as it has historically been more severe and prolonged. The summer season is generally overlooked,” he said. Education sector lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung said that even if vaccines were ready earlier, schools could only accommodate vaccination outreach in mid- or late September. “At the new academic year starts, schools are busy planning for the entire year and helping students adapt to campus life, and it would be more appropriate to start vaccination programmes in mid- or late September,” Chu said. He stressed the government should continue to educate the public to ensure both parents and students recognised that jabs were the most effective way to prevent seasonal flu and could reduce the risk of a serious case or death. Drug firm Sanofi said it had a stable supply of jabs in the city. “Sanofi has been working diligently to ensure that we meet the demand for flu vaccines in Hong Kong every year,” said the company, a supplier for the government’s flu vaccination programmes. The Post has reached out to the TWGHs Wong Fung Ling College about efforts to strengthen control measures for students. The Department of Health said on Monday night that it had brought forward the enrolment of the vaccination school outreach programme to June this year, and urged institutions to try to further advance inoculation arrangements where feasible. It said about 99 per cent of schools, or 2,300, were going to arrange vaccinations for students. Some 58 per cent had scheduled to do so by the end of October, and more than 93 per cent by the end of November, higher than last year’s 45 per cent and 83 per cent respectively, it noted. The department added that about 300 schools had already arranged vaccinations, with the earliest session taking place on September 29.

Advance flu shots, Hong Kong doctors tell parents and schools after girl’s death

Dr Mike Kwan says influenza B should not be underestimated as it is as dangerous as influenza A