Hong Kong’s winter flu season has come to an end, the Centre for Health Protection said as it indicated a downward trend in flu numbers.
However, it still warned there is a 50 percent likelihood of a flu season arising this summer.
According to the center’s laboratory surveillance data, the positivity rate for influenza in respiratory samples peaked above 10 percent from late January to early February.
By mid-February, this rate started to decline, dropping to 2.3 percent by last Saturday, which is below the baseline and indicates a low level of activity.
The center’s controller Edwin Tsui Lok-kin noted that Influenza A (H1N1) was the predominant virus strain during the flu season, aligning with the seasonal vaccine.
He reported 488 severe cases and 330 deaths among adults during this period, with 66 percent of these individuals unvaccinated and 78 percent suffering from chronic illnesses.
For children, there were ten severe cases, of which seven were unvaccinated and two had chronic conditions, with no reported fatalities among this group, he said.
Tsui stated that severe cases and deaths among adults have decreased by 20 percent and severe cases among children have dropped by 60 percent compared to the 2018-2019 winter flu season.
He suggested the decline is likely due to the greater willingness of the public to get vaccinated and the collaboration with institutions such as care homes.
Tsui further indicated that, from 2010 to 2019, Hong Kong experienced five summer flu seasons lasting 6 to 18 weeks, mainly due to Influenza A (H3).
Based on this, he noted a 50 percent chance of a flu season this summer.
(Cheng Wong)
