Press Releases

SFH on seasonal influenza

Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, after attending a public function this afternoon (February 15):

Reporter : Has the (seasonal flu) epidemic arrived at a peak level? Would the Government have any special arrangement during the Chinese New Year?

Secretary for Food and Health: I would say there is no easy way to determine whether the current seasonal flu epidemic has come to a peak or plateau. If you look at the specimens collected at various sentinel surveillance points and the results of the virological study, the relevant figures have stopped shooting up apparently in the last one or two weeks. However, the number of serious seasonal flu patients requiring intensive care as well as the mortality figure still stand at a very high level. We would have to closely monitor the trend in the following one or two weeks in order to have a clearer picture as to how the epidemic would develop.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Sunday, February 15, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:25

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