Children should get flu jabs 'before LNY travel'

RTHK：Video News

A paediatrician has urged parents planning Lunar New Year travels with their kids to ensure their children get their flu jabs immediately, citing an increased risk of influenza-related complications following the pandemic. Speaking to reporters after appearing on a radio programme on Saturday, Dr Patrick Ip, from the University of Hong Kong's department of paediatrics, said severe influenza infections could result in complications such as pneumonia, pneumococcal infection or respiratory syncytial virus infection, posing a heightened risk, especially for children. He added that the vaccination rate among children is still low, with more than 50 percent yet to receive their jabs. "We are already entering into the winter and already entering into the peak season of influenza outbreak. We want to encourage all the parents to try to bring your children to receive influenza vaccination as quickly as possible. Now for those younger children younger than nine years old, they need to receive at least two doses of influenza vaccine separated by four weeks," he said. "For each dose of influenza, usually after the vaccination, it takes two weeks to become much more effective in protection." He said parents have different vaccination options available for their children, which can be accessed at different locations. "The vaccination programme this year actually has been well being conducted in the different areas including by hospital clinic settings, but also with a very good outreach programme," he said. "This year, the government ... allowed a very flexible on-site vaccination scheme to the schools. They can choose either to receive the conventional injection of inactivated vaccine or they could also choose the nasal influenza live-attenuated vaccine option." Ip added that the upward trend in influenza cases is expected to continue, predicting more severe instances in the next few weeks.