Single dose of drug capable of suppressing influenza amid HK's flu season
發佈日期: 2025-10-14 19:46
TVB News
As the current flu season continues to affect residents across the city, Centre for Health Protection Controller Edwin Tsui said he is worried it may coincide with the upcoming arrival of the winter flu season.
This as some family doctors note the single intake of a newly available type of medication is capable of suppressing the flu virus, but added consumption should only be limited to those aged 12 or above.
Since entering the peak of the flu season in the middle of last month, the virus has already claimed the life of a 13-year-old secondary school student.
The girl, who studied at a school in Ma On Shan, earlier contracted the influenza B virus.
She died on Sunday and was confirmed to have suffered from a combination of encephalopathy, myocarditis and shock.
Some in the healthcare sector noted consuming the Tamiflu drug within 48 hours of the onset of flu symptoms could effectively suppress the virus.
The entire course of treatment lasts for a total of five days, requiring 10 intakes.
Some family doctors said an upgraded version of the drug is now available, which only requires a single dose for flu suppression.
Family doctor Lam Wing-wo stressed the upgraded drug may only be suitable for those aged 12 or above, adding that the original version is preferable for elderly patients with chronic illnesses.
Lam emphasised the key to successful treatment is the early detection of symptoms.
Regarding the effectiveness of various test kits available on the market, Lam said the most basic test kits are already capable of providing users with essential information on their flu status.
Over the past four weeks, the city recorded an average of 70 influenza cases per week, compared with just 15 in the same period of time during the winter flu season at the beginning of this year.
Centre for Health Protection Controller Edwin Tsui raised concern over the possibility of the current flu season overlapping with the peak of the coming winter flu season, as he believes the current flu season will last until November.
He urged the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
