The Health Bureau (SSM) announced this year’s third flu-related death in a statement on Saturday, a 68-year-old man who died earlier that day after treatment at the public Conde de S. Januario Hospital Centre.
The statement noted that the victim was the one whose condition had been described as critical in a previous statement. He fell ill on February 8, and was admitted to the private Kiang Wu Hospital five days later.
On the February 19 he was transferred to the public hospital, where he was diagnosed with streptococcus pneumonia septicaemia, while a flu virus test proved positive for influenza Type B, according to the statement. He had been given oxygen to aid breathing while undergoing treatment.
Early Saturday morning, he was pronounced dead, the statement said.
Last month the SSM recorded this year’s first flu-related death. The victim, a 4-year-old girl, initially had a negative result from a rapid influenza diagnostic test at Kiang Wu Hospital. She returned to the hospital a few days afterwards as she still had a fever. Her condition deteriorated and she was admitted for inpatient treatment after a flu virus test proved positive for influenza Type A. After being transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) she died of complications caused by influenza Type A and pneumonia.
The victim in the second case was a 90-year-old man who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dementia, and other chronic conditions. The man had suffered loss of appetite for several days before he was admitted to the public hospital, where he was diagnosed with influenza Type B while his COPD had worsened. He died of pneumonia last Tuesday.
The statement noted that all the three victims did not have flu jabs for the 2017/2018 winter influenza season.
