What is a pneumococcal infection? Hong Kong NGO says half of at-risk residents don’t know, with experts calling for more free jabs
- Half of at-risk residents aged 50 and above unaware that pneumococcus bacteria is common cause of pneumonia, ranked city’s second-deadliest condition last year
- ‘With pandemic prevention measures relaxing, we’re seeing a resurgence of serious illnesses linked to pneumococcal infections back to pre-Covid levels,’ expert says
Half of Hongkongers at risk of contracting pneumococcal infections are clueless about the disease, a survey has found, with experts urging authorities to expand a free jab scheme combating the bacteria linked to the city’s second-deadliest medical condition.
The study published by the Hong Kong Alliance of Patients’ Organisations and Polytechnic University’s nursing school on Sunday also discovered that three-fifths of respondents had yet to receive any pneumococcal vaccination.
The poll was conducted between June and August this year to learn more about residents’ understanding of the bacteria and where to get vaccinated, with the survey covering 2,014 people aged 50 and above.
Pneumococcus, a bacteria found in the upper respiratory system, is one of the most common causes of pneumonia, which was ranked as the second deadliest in Hong Kong after cancer and linked to 10,499 deaths last year.
