Hong Kong enters influenza peak season

Press Release from Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection :

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 17) called on the public to maintain vigilance against seasonal influenza as latest surveillance data showed that Hong Kong has entered the winter influenza peak season.

The Public Health Laboratory Centre (PHLC) of the CHP has detected increases in the number of influenza isolations recently. A total of 149 influenza detections were recorded last week (ending January 15, 2011) compared with 26, 47 and 77 in the weeks ending December 25, 2010, January 1 and January 8, 2011 respectively. The number of influenza-like illness outbreaks occurring in institutions and schools also increased from three in the week ending January 8 to 17 in the week ending January 15.

The majority (76%) of influenza viruses isolated in the recent two weeks were influenza A (H1N1) 2009 (i.e. human swine influenza), followed by influenza A (H3N2) (12%) and influenza B (12%)."