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About 300,000 people in eight needy or high-risk categories will be covered in the Government Influenza Vaccination Programme (GIVP) for 2007-08 which starts today (November 5).
More than 60,000 elderly people living in more than 770 residential care homes will receive free influenza vaccinations from today to November 30, followed by mop-up vaccinations until early 2008.
The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, visited an elderly home in Shau Kei Wan this morning to see the implementation of the Influenza Vaccination Programme in Elderly Homes.
"The programme helps protect them from complications of influenza infection by immunisation before the peak influenza season," he said.
The Government has been providing free vaccinations to all elderly living in residential care homes in Hong Kong since 1998. The programme has been well received, with a coverage rate of 93% in 2006.
Elderly people living in residential care homes were among one of the eight GIVP target groups recommended by the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (SCVPD) established under the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health.
Other target groups included:
* Long-stay residents of institutions for the disabled;
* Elderly people aged 65 years or above with chronic illness attending follow-up appointments in public clinics, or receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA);
* People aged under 65 years with chronic illness who are on CSSA, and some in-patients of the Hospital Authority who had chronic illness;
* Health care workers of the Department of Health, Hospital Authority and other government departments, as well as health care workers in elderly homes or institutions for the disabled;
* Poultry workers or staff who may be in contact with poultry in the poultry culling operations;
* Children aged from six to 23 months from families receiving CSSA;
* All pregnant women receiving CSSA.
As advised by the SCVPD, vaccines to be used for this year's GIVP will follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization for the 2007-08 season (northern hemisphere winter), which will contain:
* A/Solomon Islands/3/2006(H1N1)-like virus;
* A/Wisconsin/67/2005(H3N2)-like virus; and
* B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like virus
To prevent influenza and other respiratory tract infections, people are advised to adopt a healthy lifestyle and adhere to the following health advice:
* Build up good body immunity by having a proper diet, regular exercise and adequate rest, reducing stress and avoiding smoking;
* Maintain good personal hygiene, and wash hands after sneezing, coughing and wear a mask when developing symptoms of respiratory infections;
* Maintain good ventilation;
* Avoid visiting crowded places with poor ventilation, especially during peak flu season.
People can obtain information on influenza and influenza vaccination by calling the department's health education (pre-recorded) hotline at 2833 0111 or from CHP's website: http://www.chp.gov.hk.
Ends/Monday, November 5, 2007
Issued at HKT 14:36
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