Don’t delay seeking help for children with flu symptoms, Hong Kong parents urged

Medical experts have urged parents not to delay seeking diagnosis and treatment for children with flu symptoms, following a spate of severe cases complicated by other viral and bacterial infections in Hong Kong.

Their call came as temperatures were predicted to drop to as low as 10 degree Celsius (50 Farenheit) on Monday under the impact of an intense winter monsoon. The mercury in higher areas such as Tai Mo Shan hit 8.4 degrees on Sunday, prompting calls from authorities for families to pay attention to the health of the elderly and children.

Dr Mike Kwan Yat-wah, an honorary associate professor at the University of Hong Kong’s department of paediatrics and adolescent medicine, warned on Sunday that concurrent viral and bacterial infections could produce complications such as encephalopathy, a condition that can lead to brain damage.

“If it’s just a flu infection, the condition tends to be milder. But if the flu combines with other viruses such as Covid-19 and adenovirus, or in some cases bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae or Staphylococcus aureus, cases can become more severe,” Kwan told a radio programme.

The city recorded three cases of children with severe flu in the past week. Two of them were unvaccinated and developed encephalopathy, which can cause a patient’s condition to deteriorate rapidly within 24 hours.

Government laboratory surveillance data showed local flu activity continued to increase over the past few weeks, with 8.79 per cent of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza in the third week of January.