Flu cases are rising in Hong Kong, particularly among children and the elderly, an expert warned on Saturday. Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai said waning immunity from vaccines is contributing to the increase. He urged high-risk groups to get vaccinated.
Flu cases are rising in Hong Kong, particularly among children and the elderly, as waning vaccine protection weakens community immunity, Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai has warned. The chair professor of infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong made the remarks on Saturday. He urged high-risk groups who had not yet received a seasonal flu jab to get one. The warning came a day after health authorities reported that a 17-year-old boy with chronic illnesses had developed severe pneumonia and shock from an influenza B infection. The unvaccinated teenager is in critical condition. Hung told a radio programme that infections had rebounded since January. He noted an upwards trend in both Influenza A and B at Queen Mary Hospital among the elderly and children but said it was too soon to confirm another peak. Hung attributed the rise to declining immunity, noting that the seasonal influenza vaccination scheme had been under way for about half a year.