Hong Kong may face overlapping flu seasons amid surge in outbreaks

Hong Kong may experience an overlap of the summer and winter flu seasons amid a recent surge in outbreaks at schools, with experts urging residents, especially vulnerable groups, to get vaccinated.

Professor Lau Yu-lung, chairman of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases under the Centre for Health Protection, joined the growing calls on Saturday, amid a significant increase in influenza-like illness outbreaks over the past two weeks.

“We have just entered the summer flu season with local flu activity being on the rise since early September,” he told a radio programme.

“As the new school year just began, schools have increased cross-class activities in enclosed spaces, leading to a higher risk of cross-infection.”

On Tuesday, the centre officially declared the start of the summer flu season, which, in the past, usually occurred around July or August.