Press Releases
Public urged to get prepared for winter influenza season (with photos)
To better prepare for the winter influenza season, the
Government urges the public to heighten vigilance, maintain
good personal, hand and environmental hygiene, and receive
influenza vaccination early to prevent influenza and other
respiratory diseases.
The Under Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia
Chan, today (December 1) visited Pamela Youde Nethersole
Eastern Hospital and received flu vaccination with the
Director (Cluster Services) of the Hospital Authority (HA),
Dr Cheung Wai-lun, and nurses of public hospitals.
Professor Chan said, "The two government vaccination
programmes, namely the Government Vaccination Programme and
the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme, have started this year.
Nearly 38 000 people have received vaccination via the two
programmes. Apart from members of the public, we also
strongly encourage healthcare workers to receive
vaccination, no matter if they work in the public or private
healthcare sector. It can safeguard their health and also
reduce the risk of patients being infected.
"To encourage and assist public healthcare workers to
receive influenza vaccination, the HA has implemented
various measures including arranging mobile vaccination
teams to provide proactive vaccination services to
healthcare workers in various departments and clinical areas
regularly, setting up designated vaccination stations to
facilitate staff vaccination, providing vaccination to newly
recruited staff during medical examination sessions,
simplifying the vaccination procedure and sharing good
practices on how to promote staff vaccination, as well as
organising seminars and other internal publicity measures."
Professor Chan said the weather in Hong Kong has been
getting cool recently, adding that the number of influenza
cases might increase with a drop in temperature. As it takes
about two weeks for antibodies to develop in the body after
vaccination, she appealed to the public and healthcare
workers to receive vaccination as soon as possible to
prepare for the upcoming winter influenza peak season.
Ends/Thursday, December 1, 2016
Issued at HKT 16:51
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