An 11-year-old girl with a chronic illness is in serious condition in paediatric intensive care at Queen Mary Hospital with influenza A and severe pneumonia, the Centre for Health Protection said on October 7. The Centre’s tally of serious paediatric flu cases since the season began in late June stood at 23, including one death.
The girl developed a cough on September 29 and a fever the next day. On October 3, shortness of breath and vomiting led her to seek treatment at a private clinic; she was referred to Queen Mary Hospital’s emergency department and admitted. A respiratory sample tested positive for influenza A(H1). She had not received the 2026/27 seasonal flu vaccine.
The Centre recorded three serious paediatric flu cases in the five days before its report. Since schools reopened in September, it had received nearly 370 reports of influenza-like illness outbreaks in schools, affecting about 2,200 people.
Dr Edwin Tsui, director of the Centre, said flu activity remained high and influenza A(H1) was the main circulating virus. The Centre expected activity to fluctuate at a high level over the following several weeks.
The 2026/27 seasonal flu vaccination programme had begun, with outreach activities held at more than 140 schools. The Centre expected the school outreach work to finish before mid-December, about two weeks earlier than the previous year.