Hong Kong battles mutated flu strain surge as second child dies this season
Health authorities say 11-month-old boy has become second flu death of the year, as public urged to get jabs to protect against complications
A mutated influenza virus strain is spreading in Hong Kong, potentially reducing the vaccine’s ability to prevent infection, experts have said, as the city recorded its second child death of the current flu season.
Health authorities said on Thursday that the latest death involved an 11-month-old boy.
Earlier in the day, experts stressed that the jabs remain effective in protecting against serious complications from a genetically mutated influenza A (H3N2) virus strain that authorities said had “recently emerged in Hong Kong and many other regions”.
“The proportion of the mutated virus strain is rising, and is replacing the [strain before mutation],” said David Hui Shu-cheong, a professor of respiratory medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The Department of Health told the Post that the mutated strain had rapidly become increasingly active around the world since August, replacing the previous H3N2 strain.
“The World Health Organization expects that this new strain will likely dominate among H3N2 viruses during the 2025-26 season in the Northern Hemisphere,” a spokesman said.