The elderly and chronically ill may be given free vaccinations against pneumonia to reduce deaths if the city is hit by a swine flu pandemic. In anticipation of a swine flu outbreak that could last from a few months to even a year, health officials have decided that vaccination is a key long-term strategy against a flu pandemic.
A scientific committee under the Centre for Health Protection will meet soon to study the effectiveness of three vaccines - human swine flu vaccines expected to be available in a few months, ordinary seasonal flu vaccines and pneumococcal vaccines against pneumonia.
The committee, formed by medical experts, will hold discussions if all three vaccines are recommended. The government will then decide if the vaccines should be provided free, and to whom.
Medical experts said many deaths during a flu pandemic were caused by secondary bacterial infections, which occur when flu attacks patients' immunity. The pneumococcal vaccine can protect against infections of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a common bacteria that causes pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia - the presence of bacteria in the blood - and ear infections.
The University of Hong Kong has completed a study showing that a double vaccination against seasonal flu and streptococcus could significantly reduce hospital admissions and deaths during a flu season. The findings are in line with overseas studies which found that the death and hospital admission rates among chronic lung disease patients during a flu peak was cut by 81 per cent and 64 per cent, respectively, if double vaccinations were used.
'Health officials tend to support a double vaccination programme [against seasonal flu and Streptococcus pneumoniae] and agree that it has to be done before the coming winter flu season,' a senior medical source close to the discussions said.
From September, children under two can receive the pneumococcal vaccination free at government clinics. The department estimated that a total of 280,000 doses would be required each year, as there were about 70,000 newborns annually.
