Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases discusses seasonal influenza situation and enhanced vaccination in upcoming influenza season
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At the meeting, members noted that the overall local influenza activity has been on a decreasing trend in recent consecutive weeks and is gradually approaching the baseline level. The predominating virus of this winter influenza season has been influenza B.
According to the latest surveillance data, the percentage of respiratory specimens tested positive for seasonal influenza viruses received by the CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch peaked at 27.21 per cent in the week ending February 17 and declined to 13.23 per cent in the week ending March 17.
The number of institutional influenza-like illness (ILI) outbreaks peaked at 115 cases (affecting 706 persons) in the week ending February 3 and dropped to 30 cases (144 persons) in the week ending March 17.
The weekly average rate of the ILI syndrome group in the accident and emergency departments decreased from the peak of 275.1 cases per 1 000 coded cases in the week ending February 17 to 172.8 in that ending March 17. In the same period, the overall admission rate with principal diagnosis of influenza in public hospitals also decreased from the peak of 1.51 per 10 000 population to 0.46.
While the winter influenza season has shown signs to subside, the SCVPD agreed that vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications.
Ways to enhance vaccination in school children were also explored at the meeting. Members were briefed that the CHP is proactively preparing for the launch of the "School Outreach Vaccination Pilot Programme" (Pilot Programme). Under the Pilot Programme, it is proposed that the Government will provide free outreach influenza vaccination services to the primary schools either by the Government Outreach Team or Public-Private-Partnership Outreach Team, with the aim of increasing seasonal influenza vaccination uptake among primary school children in the 2018/19 school year.
With the assistance of the Education Bureau, the CHP held briefing sessions to primary schools on the proposed arrangement of the Pilot Programme. They have also been invited to express their interest in participating in the Pilot Programme.
For the upcoming 2018/19 season, the SCVPD endorsed that the composition of the recommended vaccines should be in line with the World Health Organization (WHO)'s recommendations.
In accordance with the recommendation of the WHO, the quadrivalent influenza vaccines to be used in the 2018/19 Northern Hemisphere (NH) influenza season contain:
* A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
* A/Singapore/INFIMH-16-0019/2016 (H3N2)-like virus;
* B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage); and
* B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage).
It also recommended that the influenza B virus component of trivalent influenza vaccines for use in the 2018/19 NH influenza season to be a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus of the B/Victoria/2/87-lineage.
For more information on SIV and CHP's Vaccination Schemes, the public may call the CHP's hotline (2125 2125) or visit the CHP's Vaccination Schemes page and frequently asked questions on SIV.
Ends/Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Issued at HKT 21:26
Issued at HKT 21:26
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