Hong Kong medical experts split over benefits of flu vaccinations for children
Vaccination campaign urged but specialist says dense living space could limit benefits
Hong Kong's school pupils should be given vaccinations to stop them spreading the flu, an academic specialising in infectious diseases says.
But the city's dense living space may actually make the flu vaccine less effective among children, according to another medical specialist.
The government offers subsidised jabs for children aged six or below, and people aged 65 or older. While the vaccine is usually offered in winter, a new round of vaccination is due to begin next month after the World Health Organisation erred in its prediction of the dominant flu strain for winter, leading to the city offering a jab that had little effect.
That failure led to a grim winter flu season that claimed the lives of more than 400 Hongkongers. While the overwhelming majority of those who died were elderly, University of Hong Kong public health expert Dr Benjamin Cowling said vaccinating children could help stop the disease spreading.
"Children are the main drivers of epidemics," Cowling said. "Children get infected more frequently than any other age group and they spread infection very easily to each other."
Cowling was speaking after being named as one of 10 fellows by the Croucher Foundation. The fellowships from the local scientific research organisation will allow the recipients to conduct research full time for a year, free from teaching and administrative duties.
Referring to his own tests, Cowling said: "[The vaccine] reduced children's risk of influenza by 60 to 70 per cent."
But he said the city might have to wait up to three years to see the results of an experiment with voluntary vaccination in Britain before deciding whether to act.
Dr Leung Chi-chiu, a specialist in respiratory medicine, said vaccinating children might not be effective in crowded Hong Kong, given that vulnerable people could be infected through centres for elderly people.
The Department of Health urged parents to see family doctors for advice about flu.
