Health expert warns of rising flu risk in HK schools, urges vaccination

A pediatrician in Hong Kong has issued an urgent warning about a significant increase in severe pediatric influenza cases, linking the heightened transmission risk to the highly active and communal nature of school environments.

The alert comes after the city recorded two severe childhood flu cases earlier this week.

The most recent case involves a six-year-old girl who was infected with influenza and developed severe pneumonia. She was hospitalized in serious condition.

Patrick Ip Pak-keung, clinical professor of HKU's pediatrics and adolescent medicine department, said on Thursday childhood flu cases have seen a noticeable surge.

He explained that the close interactions and frequent activities between students in schools are a major contributing factor. Compounding the problem, Ip noted that some students continue to attend classes even while exhibiting symptoms, which significantly increases the risk of the virus spreading to their classmates.

The health expert further attributed the rise in severe complications to the evolving nature of the flu virus.

He said the virus changes every year, causing the protection offered by previous seasons' flu vaccinations to wane considerably.

As a result, children who have not yet received their vaccination for the current year may lack sufficient protection against severe illness, he said.

In light of these concerns, health authorities are strongly urging parents to take proactive measures.

Ip called on parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible. He also reiterated essential public health advice, stressing that students who feel unwell should stay home from school to recover and avoid infecting others.

He also recommended people wear masks in crowded places as a key preventative measure to curb the spread of the virus.