Public urged to get jabs amid 'wave' of flu cases

Director of Health Ronald Lam called upon citizens to receive the flu vaccine in response to a surge in influenza cases, which have followed a wave-like pattern since June. Speaking on a radio program, Lam stated that influenza A is the dominant strain, with H1 accounting for roughly 80 percent of infections and H3 making up about 20 percent.

The remaining cases are due to influenza B. Influenza infections were still prevalent last week, with hospital visits for assistance rising to 0.83 per 10,000 patients, compared to 0.27 a year ago. This summer, 19 cases of severe pediatric influenza infections were reported, half of which occurred in children aged five or younger, and three of those cases were in unvaccinated children.

Lam urged parents to vaccinate their children promptly, emphasizing that the risk of developing severe complications is more than five times higher for unvaccinated children. The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination School Outreach program is set to begin this Thursday, and so far, the response has been highly positive, with over 99 percent of all schools having signed up.

By the end of September, the program aims to complete vaccinations for 80 schools, and by this season's end, all schools are expected to be vaccinated, with the goal of all schools receiving the vaccine by mid-December. The Department of Health has identified 14 schools that have not registered for the program, encouraging parents to seek private-sector doctors enrolled in the government's vaccination subsidy scheme. These schools opted out due to various reasons, such as administrative arrangements.