tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
The flu situation is more severe than last winter but is still not as serious as during the swine flu pandemic in 2009, according to the Centre for Health Protection.
That was the conclusion to be drawn from figures for the flu peak season released by controller Thomas Tsang Ho-fai yesterday, which showed nine people have died since last month.
The figures came as two more patients were put under intensive care at public hospitals after being confirmed to have contracted swine flu.
They are a 61-year-old female patient, who is in a critical condition, and an 18-year-old male, who is stable. As of 2pm yesterday, 39 flu patients were in intensive care.
The center also announced an outbreak of swine flu at a long-stay ward at Castle Peak Hospital.
Six male patients aged 40 to 57 and a staff member have developed flu symptoms since Saturday.
The patients are in stable condition after being transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital and isolated.
The Castle Peak Hospital employee has recovered and resumed duty. Admissions to the ward have been suspended.
Health authorities have been urging those at risk to get vaccinated since a surge in flu cases last month. The public has also been advised to take extra care with their personal hygiene.
Especially worrying for health authorities is the return to school of most students on Monday after a two- week Lunar New Year break.
Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok on Wednesday said outbreaks may hit "tens of schools" per week.
Tsang said around 71 of 1,000 people treated in private clinics this year had flu symptoms, higher than last year. The highest recorded was during the 2009 pandemic when 118.6 per 1,000 people had flu symptoms.
A total of 880 flu viruses have been identified in laboratories, much lower than the 2,800 per week in 2009.
So far this year, there have been 59 outbreaks per week in schools and old people's homes. This compares with 325 per week in 2009, but is higher than 2010 figures. Tsang did not reveal the 2010 figures.
Hospital admission figures show that five children under the age of four have been admitted with flu for every 10,000 this year. In 2009 the rate was 6.5 per 10,000 children.
Overall flu deaths so far this year are lower than in the previous two years, Tsang added.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_...2&sid=31256898&con_type=1&d_str=20110211&fc=7
That was the conclusion to be drawn from figures for the flu peak season released by controller Thomas Tsang Ho-fai yesterday, which showed nine people have died since last month.
The figures came as two more patients were put under intensive care at public hospitals after being confirmed to have contracted swine flu.
They are a 61-year-old female patient, who is in a critical condition, and an 18-year-old male, who is stable. As of 2pm yesterday, 39 flu patients were in intensive care.
The center also announced an outbreak of swine flu at a long-stay ward at Castle Peak Hospital.
Six male patients aged 40 to 57 and a staff member have developed flu symptoms since Saturday.
The patients are in stable condition after being transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital and isolated.
The Castle Peak Hospital employee has recovered and resumed duty. Admissions to the ward have been suspended.
Health authorities have been urging those at risk to get vaccinated since a surge in flu cases last month. The public has also been advised to take extra care with their personal hygiene.
Especially worrying for health authorities is the return to school of most students on Monday after a two- week Lunar New Year break.
Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok on Wednesday said outbreaks may hit "tens of schools" per week.
Tsang said around 71 of 1,000 people treated in private clinics this year had flu symptoms, higher than last year. The highest recorded was during the 2009 pandemic when 118.6 per 1,000 people had flu symptoms.
A total of 880 flu viruses have been identified in laboratories, much lower than the 2,800 per week in 2009.
So far this year, there have been 59 outbreaks per week in schools and old people's homes. This compares with 325 per week in 2009, but is higher than 2010 figures. Tsang did not reveal the 2010 figures.
Hospital admission figures show that five children under the age of four have been admitted with flu for every 10,000 this year. In 2009 the rate was 6.5 per 10,000 children.
Overall flu deaths so far this year are lower than in the previous two years, Tsang added.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_...2&sid=31256898&con_type=1&d_str=20110211&fc=7