Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Severity warning over low uptake of swine flu jab
<!-- Fewer than 60 parents turned up on the first day of bookings for children to get human swine flu (H1N1) vaccinations, as the city braces for a second wave of pandemic.
//-->Mary Ann Benitez
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Fewer than 60 parents turned up on the first day of bookings for children to get human swine flu (H1N1) vaccinations, as the city braces for a second wave of pandemic.
From yesterday, parents of children from aged from six months to six years have been asked to make appointments at any of the 15 Student Health Services Centres ahead of the vaccination program that begins on Monday.
Controller of the Centre for Health Protection Thomas Tsang Ho-fai said only 50 to 60 people showed up at the centers in the morning session yesterday.
"This is not a very satisfactory number. We are hoping to have a larger number of appointments," he said.
The 15 centers can administer up to 6,000 injections a day.
Tsang warned if the take-up remains poor, there will be more severe cases during the peak flu season.
"If, at the end of the day, the number of vaccinations is low, that will have an impact, in the sense that we may be seeing more cases with severe complications, more cases requiring intensive care, and more fatalities," Tsang said.
The reasons for the low take-up might be that parents were not aware of the booking system, he added.
People may also have some doubts about the safety of the vaccine, Tsang said.
He sought to ease worries about the vaccine's safety, saying that more than 80 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in 40 countries.
"The World Health Organization has found that swine flu vaccine is as safe as seasonal flu vaccine," he said. Tsang urged people of high-risk groups to get themselves vaccinated early.
"It takes a few weeks to develop immunity. For high-risk groups, you may not get the immunity on time.
"My message is: get the vaccine ahead of the flu peak season," Tsang said.
The health chief added that the elderly, chronically ill and pregnant women can go Department of Health and the Hospital Authority clinics to get the vaccine free from Monday.
People who want to get vaccinated at private doctors' clinics can get subsidized shots from December 28.
The government intends to vaccinate up to two million high-risk individuals in an effort to stem a second wave of flu pandemic.
Hong Kong has had about 33,109 confirmed cases of swine flu, resulting in 45 deaths.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_...8&sid=26420272&con_type=1&d_str=20091215&fc=1
<!-- Fewer than 60 parents turned up on the first day of bookings for children to get human swine flu (H1N1) vaccinations, as the city braces for a second wave of pandemic.
//-->Mary Ann Benitez
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Fewer than 60 parents turned up on the first day of bookings for children to get human swine flu (H1N1) vaccinations, as the city braces for a second wave of pandemic.
From yesterday, parents of children from aged from six months to six years have been asked to make appointments at any of the 15 Student Health Services Centres ahead of the vaccination program that begins on Monday.
Controller of the Centre for Health Protection Thomas Tsang Ho-fai said only 50 to 60 people showed up at the centers in the morning session yesterday.
"This is not a very satisfactory number. We are hoping to have a larger number of appointments," he said.
The 15 centers can administer up to 6,000 injections a day.
Tsang warned if the take-up remains poor, there will be more severe cases during the peak flu season.
"If, at the end of the day, the number of vaccinations is low, that will have an impact, in the sense that we may be seeing more cases with severe complications, more cases requiring intensive care, and more fatalities," Tsang said.
The reasons for the low take-up might be that parents were not aware of the booking system, he added.
People may also have some doubts about the safety of the vaccine, Tsang said.
He sought to ease worries about the vaccine's safety, saying that more than 80 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in 40 countries.
"The World Health Organization has found that swine flu vaccine is as safe as seasonal flu vaccine," he said. Tsang urged people of high-risk groups to get themselves vaccinated early.
"It takes a few weeks to develop immunity. For high-risk groups, you may not get the immunity on time.
"My message is: get the vaccine ahead of the flu peak season," Tsang said.
The health chief added that the elderly, chronically ill and pregnant women can go Department of Health and the Hospital Authority clinics to get the vaccine free from Monday.
People who want to get vaccinated at private doctors' clinics can get subsidized shots from December 28.
The government intends to vaccinate up to two million high-risk individuals in an effort to stem a second wave of flu pandemic.
Hong Kong has had about 33,109 confirmed cases of swine flu, resulting in 45 deaths.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_...8&sid=26420272&con_type=1&d_str=20091215&fc=1