The community should heighten its vigilance and enhance protection measures against influenza, including receiving the seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV), and those who plan to travel should stay alert to the situation of infectious diseases at their destination.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) made the plea today as the seasonal influenza activity in Hong Kong and many other countries and regions in the northern hemisphere remains at a high level.

Noting that Hong Kong entered the influenza season in early January, the CHP said it recorded 199 adult cases of intensive care unit admissions or deaths due to influenza in the first four weeks, as compared with 127 cases in the same period in the previous influenza season.

Among them, there were 122 deaths and over 70% of these severe or death cases did not receive the SIV. For the deaths, nearly 90% involved people aged 65 or above, and nine cases of severe paediatric influenza-associated complications were recorded for children with seven of them unvaccinated.

​CHP Controller Edwin Tsui said that with the influenza activity in many parts of the northern hemisphere including the Mainland, Japan, Korea as well as Europe and North America staying at a high level, those planning to travel should monitor the flu situation at their destination before departure and take personal protective measures.

These measures include receiving the SIV as soon as possible and wearing a surgical mask while in crowded places. Whether in Hong Kong or abroad, people who develop respiratory symptoms, even mild ones, should wear surgical masks and seek medical advice, he added.

With reference to previous surveillance data, virus activity will continue to increase for a period of time after the start of the flu season before peaking. Currently, available data indicates that the influenza activity level is still on the rise.

In view of the high levels of flu activity locally and in the northern hemisphere in the coming weeks, Dr Tsui urged people aged six months and above, particularly seniors and children with higher risk of getting infected and developing complications, to act immediately to minimise the risk of serious complications and death after infection.

As of yesterday, about 1,932,000 vaccine doses were administered under the various vaccination programmes, about a 6.4% increase over the same period last year and an all time high, surpassing the 1,873,000 doses administered in 2023-24.

The number of schools participating in the SIV School Outreach has also increased significantly this year. However, the SIV coverage rate for children aged six months to under two years remained relatively low.

The Government has opened the Department of Health's Maternal & Child Health Centres for children of that age range to receive the jab. Parents can book an appointment for them online.

Visit the CHP's seasonal influenza and COVID-19 & Flu Express webpages for the relevant information.