Hong Kong has bid farewell to a significantly milder winter flu season this year, with the fewer severe cases this year being attributed to increased vaccination rates, the Center for Health Protection (CHP) (CHP) said on Thursday.
However, health experts warn that a summer flu outbreak could emerge in July or August and are urging the public to maintain good hygiene.
CHP Controller Edwin Tsui Lok-kin confirmed the end of the winter flu season, citing key indicators such as fewer positive respiratory samples, reduced hospital admissions, and a decline in school and care home outbreaks, averaging just 12 cases in the past two weeks.
The recent outbreak was primarily fueled by the A/H1N1 virus, which matched the seasonal flu vaccine.
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Of the 488 severe adult cases recorded, 66 percent were unvaccinated, resulting in 330 deaths.
Despite this, the severity rate was less than the 2018-19 season, which saw the same strain. Compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, severe flu cases dropped by 20 percent in adults and 60 in children. The outbreak also lasted just 11 weeks — far shorter than last year’s 30-week season.
The CHP credited vaccination efforts for the positive trends, with a record 2.07 million doses administered since September — a 12.3 percent increase from the previous flu season.
All age groups have recorded higher vaccination rates than last year, with a particularly significant increase for the 12-to-18 age bracket, up from 40.7 percent to the current 56 percent.
Leung Yiu-hong, head of the CHP’s Emergency Response and Program Management Branch, said that the vaccination rate for children between 6 months and 2 years old is about 27 percent, higher than last season but still low compared to other age groups.
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Tsui praised collaborative efforts among government agencies, schools, care homes and businesses in promoting vaccinations.
However, he cautioned that Hong Kong could face a summer flu outbreak, historically lasting six to 18 weeks, with a 50 percent chance of occurring this year. “In addition to the winter flu outbreak, Hong Kong is no stranger to summer outbreaks,” he said.
Tsui also warned of a recent rise in COVID-19 cases due to warmer weather and urged continued vigilance.
To prepare for future outbreaks, Leung announced expanded vaccination options, including nasal-spray vaccines for schools and childcare centers.
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Officials also plan to boost vaccination rates among children younger than 2 years old and adults aged between 50 and 64, where uptake remains low.
Leung said that unvaccinated children and elderly people are respectively four and 2.3 times more likely to develop severe complications compared with their vaccinated counterparts.
“These figures reflect the important protective role of seasonal influenza vaccination in preventing severe illness and death,” he said.
