Health authorities have piled pressure on more than 160 schools by publicly naming them for refusing to arrange on-campus influenza vaccinations for pupils, as they warned that Hong Kong has entered the flu season.
Among those named by the Department of Health on Thursday were 11 of the 22 international schools operated by the English Schools Foundation (ESF), and a raft of private and subsidised elite institutions.
Some education-sector representatives argued that it might be unfair for authorities to publicly name and shame the schools without considering their reasons for not joining what was meant to be an optional drive.
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Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the Centre for Health Protection under the department, said on Thursday that the latest surveillance data showed Hong Kong had entered the flu season and he urged members of the public to get vaccinated.
“The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for seasonal influenza viruses is 5.69 per cent. The influenza admission rate in public hospitals is 0.36 cases per 10,000 population,” Tsui said, adding both figures had exceeded the threshold of 4.94 per cent and 0.27 cases per 10,000 population respectively, indicating the city had entered the flu season.
Most of the positive tests – around 90 per cent – were for influenza A (H1), he added.
The department said the number of reported flu-like illness outbreaks started to increase after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Last week, seven institutional or school outbreaks were reported, affecting 45 people, up from a weekly two to four cases last month.
It called on the public, especially the elderly and children, to receive the seasonal influenza jab.
And in a move which raised eyebrows, then department named 168 schools that had “still refused” to arrange on-campus vaccinations for students and another 13 which it said had agreed to arrange such activities but had yet to provide a confirmed date.
The centre listed the schools on its website and in a statement.
“Dr Tsui appealed to the parents of these schools to bring their children to receive the seasonal influenza vaccination as soon as possible, as research studies have shown that influenza vaccination among children can reduce serious complications and lower school absenteeism,” the statement said.
“He strongly urges schools that have not yet set a date for vaccination to arrange vaccination activities as soon as possible in the next two weeks to protect the health of schoolchildren and minimise absenteeism due to influenza which can affect their learning.”
The list includes a raft of international schools. Among them are ESF institutions such as Beacon Hill School and Discovery College, along with the Australian International School Hong Kong and Yew Chung International School.
Semi-private elite institutions such as St Paul’s Co-Educational College and Diocesan Girls’ School were also named. Subsidised top schools such as St Mary’s Canossian College and Munsang College were also listed.
An ESF spokesman said some of its schools, after assessing their own circumstances and the views of their community, came to the decision that there were other ways they could support parents and staff who wanted access to a flu vaccine without joining the programme.
“We will continue to work closely with health officials on the flu vaccination initiative and the many other programmes that we collaborate on each year,” he said.
Lee Yi-ying, chairwoman of the Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, said she believed some schools did not join the scheme because their students might have received jabs in private clinics.
“If there is already a high number of students inoculated at clinics outside schools, the participation rate to receive the vaccination at schools will become lower,” she said.
“Schools might think it is of no use to join such a vaccination activity.”
A school principal, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said receiving a flu shot was a decision for students and parents, and the government should not “punish” institutions that refused to join the drive by announcing their names publicly.
“It is absolutely an optional activity, how come the government announced the names of the schools which did not join an non-compulsory activity? It should make it mandatory at the beginning if the government wants every school to join,” the school head said.
Education sector lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung said schools might not join the outreach activity for various reasons, such as a low participation rate or because some children had already received a flu jab.
“Authorities should first look into the reasons, and should step up their explanations if there are doubts or concerns among schools, students and parents,” he said.
“It is after all a voluntary decision by parents and students on whether to get jabbed and schools should not be negatively labelled for not participating in the outreach programme.”
He urged authorities to explain the motive for publicising the list of schools to prevent misunderstandings.
According to health authorities, about 1.83 million flu jabs had been administered as of Sunday, a 5.4 per cent rise from the number recorded during the same period last year.
But they noted the coverage rate for children aged six months to under two years remained “relatively low” at about 17.4 per cent, below that of older minors.
The government has opened the Department of Health’s Maternal and Child Health Centres for all children in this age group, allowing parents to book vaccination appointments online.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Hong Kong’s winter flu season expected to peak mid-January, expert says
- Hong Kong logs 3 deaths from 4 severe flu cases, low Covid activity uptick
- Hong Kong hospitals brace for surge in flu and Covid-19 cases
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