The Centre for Health Protection warns Hong Kong is entering the peak influenza season with a rise of flu-like illness detected in the community recently.

The centre's community medicine consultant Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said today in the week ending February 2 consultation rates for flu-like illness at private doctor and government outpatient clinics were 51.3 and 4.4 per 1,000 consultations while figures for the previous week were 50.7 and 3.8.

Surveillance has also found a growing number of local flu detections that appeared in different countries recently, including A/H3N2/Brisbane, A/H1N1/Solomon Islands and B/Yamagata and B/Malaysia.

Noting flu vaccines will offer some degree of protection Dr Chuang urged people who are at higher risk of complications from flu to get vaccinated as soon as possible as it takes two weeks for people to take up immunity. She also called on eligible people to get free jabs under the Government Influenza Vaccination Programme.

Dr Chuang said according to the World Health Organisation the currently-used flu vaccine offers 40% to 85% of protection against one of the circulating strains - the A/H3N1/Brisbane-like virus, and it matches with the circulating A/H1N1 and B/Malaysia-like strains.

"Some immunity against the B/Yamagata-like strain is expected among local population as it has been circulating in Hong Kong in recent years," she said.

Over 270,000 vaccine doses have been administered to eligible target groups since the government vaccination programme started November 5, which will continue while stocks last.

People should take precautionary measures against flu infection like maintaining good body immunity and personal and environmental hygiene, washing hands after sneezing or coughing, avoiding crowded places with poor ventilation, wearing face masks and consulting doctors promptly if influenza-like symptoms develop.