The Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement yesterday that 1,078 cases of influenza (popularly known as the flu) were reported this month, 683 of which were recorded in the 23rd week of this year, i.e., last week.
The statement noted that according to the city’s hospitals, the number of flu-like cases has increased since May, in which adults accounted for the majority. The statement added that the proportion of adult emergency department visits due to flu-like cases accounted for 13.2 visits per 100 visits, which have risen 66.3 percent and 384.4 percent compared with the 7.9 visits and 2.7 visits in the 22nd week and the 19th week respectively, while the proportion of influenza-related paediatric emergencies accounted for 42.1 visits per 100 visits, which increased by 31.3 percent and 93.4 percent compared to the visits of 32 and 21.7 in the 22nd week and the previous four weeks.
41.8 percent of patients with flu-like symptoms tested positive for influenza this month, 97.3 percent of which were confirmed as Influenza A virus subtype H3N2, while the remainder were confirmed as the Influenza B virus, the statement noted. The percentages of the other three viral respiratory diseases – enterovirus/rhinovirus, human parainfluenza virus and human metapneumovirus, are 21.1, 17.3 and 14.4 respectively, according to the statement.
The statement noted that seven local cases of severe complicated influenza have been recorded since January. The statement added that the patients are aged between 31 and 94. The statement underlined that only one of them had been vaccinated against influenza.
This graph chart provided by the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday shows the proportion of flu-like cases among local hospitals’ adult emergency department visits from the 45th week of 2019 to the 23rd week this year.
