Health official calls for children to get flu jabs, slams schools for not taking part in vaccination drive

Health official Albert Au Ka-wing on Friday called on parents to arrange flu jabs for their kids, as he named and shamed more than 160 schools in the city for refusing to arrange on-campus influenza vaccinations for pupils.

His comments came a day after the government warned that Hong Kong has entered the flu season.

Speaking on a radio program this morning, Au, head of the Centre for Health Protection Communicable Disease Branch, said the winter flu season typically lasts for 8 to 12 weeks, and he expected virus activity to peak about a month later. 

He said the prevalent strain in Hong Kong at the moment is the H1 strain, which is the same detected in the mainland.

He sidestepped on whether there would be a double peak and emphasized the need for close monitoring.

Health experts in Hong Kong have previously warned that Hong Kong could be hit by a double whammy in which its peak influenza seasons are dominated by two flu virus strains - one after another this year.

Meanwhile, he slammed some 160 schools in the city for refusing to arrange on-campus influenza vaccinations for pupils, calling on parents not to wait anymore and arrange vaccination for their kids through other means.

The Centre for Health Protection yesterday publicly named more than 160 schools for refusing to arrange on-campus influenza vaccinations for pupils. Among those named were 11 of the 22 international schools operated by the English Schools Foundation (ESF), and a raft of private and subsidized elite institutions.