A previously healthy 10-year-old boy is in serious condition in paediatric intensive care after influenza A infection was complicated by shock, the Centre for Health Protection said. He was admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital, where he remains. The centre has recorded 22 severe child influenza cases since late June, including one death.
The boy developed fever, coughing, a runny nose and dizziness on Friday before attending the hospital’s accident and emergency department on Sunday. He was admitted to paediatric intensive care that day. Tests on a respiratory sample found influenza A (H1), and doctors clinically diagnosed influenza A complicated by shock.
The 22 cases comprised 16 children who recovered and were discharged, two stable cases, two serious cases, one critical case and one death. An initial investigation found that the boy had not travelled outside Hong Kong during the incubation period and had not received the 2026/27 seasonal influenza vaccine.
Nearly 350 reports of influenza-like-illness outbreaks in schools have been recorded since they reopened in September, affecting more than 2,000 people, according to the Centre for Health Protection.
The 2026/27 seasonal influenza vaccination programme began on 17 September and includes a school outreach scheme. This year’s programme has added an electronic consent function through the eHealth system; about 100 schools had held outreach activities by 5 October. The centre urged schools and parents to complete the consent process and arrange influenza vaccination for children early.