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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (April 10) announced that the northern hemisphere seasonal influenza vaccination (NH SIV) provided under the Government Vaccination Programme (GVP) 2014/15, including the Residential Care Home Vaccination Programme (RVP), would conclude in phases in preparation for the 2015 Southern Hemisphere Seasonal Influenza Vaccination (SH SIV) Programme to be launched in May.
Schemes to conclude
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Upon the recommendations of the CHP's Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (SCVPD) on March 20, 2015 SH SIV will be provided to residents of residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) through enrolled Visiting Medical Officers (VMOs) of the RVP, and the elderly in the community setting via the Hospital Authority (HA) and the DH's designated Elderly Health Centres for free under the existing GVP starting in May in phases.
"As the SCVPD recommended that two doses of inactivated SIV should be administered at least four weeks apart, the current RVP will conclude today while remaining service providers under the current GVP will cease services on April 15, with a view to allowing adequate time for eligible persons to join the 2015 SH SIV Programme in May," a spokesman for the CHP explained.
The CHP has informed enrolled RCHEs and VMOs as well as the HA respectively of the above dates of cessation, and has been working closely with them on the logistics of the 2015 SH SIV Programme. Details will be announced in due course.
Ongoing schemes
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Of note, pneumococcal vaccination under the GVP 2014/15 (including RVP), and the entire Vaccination Subsidy Schemes (VSS) 2014/15 will remain effective until the vaccines concerned expire, as in previous years.
The CHP noted that, while the overall percentage positive for seasonal influenza viruses among respiratory specimens received by the CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch had been decreasing, the proportion of influenza B virus among positive detections in Hong Kong had been on the rise. An increasing proportion of B is also observed recently in some neighbouring and overseas areas in the NH and B even accounting for the majority of detections in some countries, such as the United States and Canada.
"Locally, the B virus characterisation to date has not revealed significant differences from the vaccine virus strains in both trivalent and quadrivalent NH SIV. Hence, NH SIV of the current season provided by the VSS may potentially offer protection against the majority of influenza B in Hong Kong so far. Eligible children and elderly yet to be vaccinated can do so under the VSS," the spokesman added.
The public may visit the CHP's pages below for more information on current vaccination schemes:
* The vaccination schemes page (www.chp.gov.hk/en/view_content/17980.html); and
* The list of participating doctors (www.chp.gov.hk/en/view_content/34664.html).
Ends/Friday, April 10, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:30
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