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A spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health said today (November 29) that the CHP has been closely monitoring developments concerning a swine-origin triple reassortant influenza A (H3N2) (S-OtrH3N2) virus in the United States since July this year.
He was speaking in response to media reports on the new flu virus.
The reassortant virus in the US has been found in 10 cases. The patients in all 10 cases have recovered and the majority of cases involved relatively mild illness. Seven of the cases involved direct or indirect exposure to swine, while the other three cases reported in Iowa involved no direct exposure to swine, suggesting limited human-to-human transmission had occurred.
"According to the epidemiological investigation in the US, there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus," the spokesman said.
"So far, no human infections with this swine-origin influenza A (H3N2) virus seen in the US have been detected in Hong Kong," the spokesman stressed.
"In Hong Kong, we have a sensitive laboratory surveillance system for the influenza virus. The Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the CHP will conduct characterisation of all influenza virus isolates including antigenic and genetic analysis," he said.
The CHP will closely monitor the progress of further epidemiological investigation and surveillance that is ongoing in the US and the advice from the World Health Organization.
The spokesman also reminded members of the public to receive influenza vaccination early and gain protection before the arrival of the winter flu season. As at November 27, 2011, over 217 000 doses of seasonal influenza vaccine had been administered to target groups under the Government Vaccination Programme and the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme 2011-12.
Ends/Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:02
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