The weather in Hong Kong has turned cooler, with the Hong Kong Observatory recording a low temperature of 18.4 degrees, the lowest since the beginning of autumn. On October 22, the Secretary for Health, Lo Chung-mau, met with the media at the Legislative Council, stating that since the start of the summer flu season in September, 587 schools have reported varying degrees of flu outbreaks, with 12 children requiring hospitalization due to severe flu, and one child has died. He urged more schools to arrange for children to receive flu vaccinations as soon as possible, and encouraged parents to do the same.
Lo noted that although the weather is starting to cool, this year's summer flu season began later than usual, so it is currently an extension of the summer flu season, which may even overlap with the winter flu season. He reminded the public to pay attention to their health and maintain personal hygiene, emphasizing that vaccination remains the most important measure for flu prevention.
Regarding this year's seasonal flu vaccination, Lo stated that there has been an improvement compared to last year. Since the start of the seasonal flu vaccination program at the end of September, over 770,000 doses of the flu vaccine have been administered, an increase of about 5.2% from last year. However, the vaccination rate for children over six months old remains relatively low. Lo encouraged parents to take their children for flu vaccinations promptly, reminding them that "it's better to get vaccinated early; October is the best time."
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