The Department of Health says a seven-year-old girl with an underlying illness is critically ill with influenza A. She developed a runny nose, diarrhoea and abdominal pain on Thursday, then fever and convulsions on Friday. She was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital and moved to its paediatric intensive care unit after her condition worsened.
Health authorities say the flu season, which began in late June, has lasted four months and is not over. Dr Edwin Tsui of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said surveillance data show signs of decline, but activity "remained above the baseline level".
What the season's numbers mean for children
- The CHP has recorded 28 severe paediatric flu cases this season: 20 recovered and discharged, two stable, four critical and two have died.
- The CHP's analysis of the previous year's data found unvaccinated children with flu had about five times the rate of severe complications or death as vaccinated children.
- Officials say activity is still above baseline, even though the latest surveillance data show signs of decline.
What the CHP advises
- Get vaccinated against influenza, as the CHP urges residents to do, to reduce the risk of illness.