Rise in Hong Kong flu infections expected as temperatures drop over Lunar New Year holiday, health expert warns

‘It’s related to the weather, the virus is less active when it’s warm,’ says David Hui, professor of respiratory medicine at Chinese University
Temperatures may drop to a low of 12 degrees Celsius on both Lunar New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year’s Day

Hong Kong society

Edith Lin

Published: 2:35pm, 4 Feb, 2024

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Flu infections are expected to rise in Hong Kong as temperatures plummet over the Lunar New Year holiday, despite a drop in the number of cases in recent weeks, a health expert has warned.

David Hui Shu-cheong, professor of respiratory medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, on Sunday said the number of flu cases had fluctuated since the start of the year.

“It’s related to the weather, the virus is less active when it’s warm,” Hui told a radio programme. “In the coming Lunar New Year holiday, the number of infections may rebound anytime as the north winds arrive.”

He added that the risk of infection in crowded places was high and urged those with symptoms to stay home.

The city’s weather forecaster has predicted temperatures will fall progressively in the coming week. Photo: Jelly Tse

The professor also advised residents heading to mainland China over the holiday to maintain hand hygiene and refrain from touching poultry and birds to prevent catching bird flu.

The Hong Kong Observatory has predicted that temperatures in the city will fall progressively in the coming week, potentially dropping to a low of 11 and 12 degrees Celsius (51.2 and 53.6 Fahrenheit) on both Lunar New Year’s Eve on Friday and Lunar New Year’s Day on Saturday.

The proportion of respiratory specimens that tested positive for seasonal influenza A or B viruses reached 11.77 per cent between December 31 and January 6, and 10.67 per cent in the following week.

Hong Kong temperature to fall as low as 14 degrees ahead of Lunar New Year

The figure dropped to 6.91 per cent in the third week and dipped to 4.9 per cent between January 21 and 27.

Hui said 27 adults were admitted to intensive care units between January 21 and 27. Many of them were not vaccinated and 20 died, he added.

He urged residents, particularly the elderly and other high-risk groups, to get inoculated against the flu as soon as possible to minimise infection risks.

Regarding Covid-19 cases, Hui said 460 patients with the virus were currently hospitalised, adding that the situation was relatively stable and JN.1 was the most prevalent variant.

Hong Kong enters winter flu season with number of outbreaks doubling this week

Referring to information from the World Health Organization, he said the variant posed limited public health risks as it would not cause very severe illness despite being highly transmissible.

The health expert also warned of the possibility of future pandemics caused by the coronavirus, influenza, bird flu and the Middle East respiratory syndrome, adding that more typhoons and flooding also increased the risk of mosquito-borne diseases.

Hui also urged the government to invest more resources in public health facilities and research to strengthen the city’s ability to face pandemics.