Search
What are you looking for?
Start main content

Press Releases

Press Releases

https://www.med.cuhk.edu.hk/press-releases/cuhk-research-reveals-new-influenza-vaccine-offers-more-effective-control-over-influenza-in-hong-kong
https://www.med.cuhk.edu.hk/press-releases/cuhk-research-reveals-new-influenza-vaccine-offers-more-effective-control-over-influenza-in-hong-kong

CUHK Research Reveals New Influenza Vaccine Offers More Effective Control over Influenza in Hong Kong

The Department of Paediatrics, the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Department of Microbiology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have jointly conducted a research recently to assess the effectiveness of a proposed new form of influenza vaccine (quadrivalent vaccine). It is found that the new vaccine can offer better control over influenza in Hong Kong, and is especially effective in containing infection among children.

Respiratory viral infection is a major cause of influenza and hospitalization is required for serious cases. According to the statistics from the Prince of Wales Hospital, 769 children (aged under 17 years) and 1,013 adults (aged 18 years or over) were admitted to the hospital because of respiratory viral infection in 2012, of which 54% and 76% were influenza patients respectively.

 

(From left) Professor Ting Fan LEUNG, Professor, Department of Paediatrics; Professor Paul Kay Sheung CHAN, Chairman, Department of Microbiology; Professor Nelson Lai Shun LEE, Head, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at CUHK present the joint recent research on how the new influenza vaccine offers more effective control over influenza in Hong Kong

(From left) Professor Ting Fan LEUNG, Professor, Department of Paediatrics; Professor Paul Kay Sheung CHAN, Chairman, Department of Microbiology; Professor Nelson Lai Shun LEE, Head, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at CUHK present the joint recent research on how the new influenza vaccine offers more effective control over influenza in Hong Kong.

A recent study conducted by Professor Ting Fan LEUNG, Department of Paediatrics; Professor Nelson Lai Shun LEE, Head of Division of Infectious Diseases; and Professor Paul Kay Sheung CHAN, Chairman, Department of Microbiology at CUHK, examined 5,210 influenza cases in the Prince of Wales Hospital from 2000 to 2010 (excluded 2009). Gene sequencing was applied to identify the virus lineage. The results showed that influenza B attributed to 1,253 (24%) cases of influenza-associated hospitalizations. Furthermore, influenza B accounted for the highest proportion among children aged 5-14 years (42%). Since the current form of trivalent influenza vaccine covers only one of the two groups of influenza B in addition to influenza A H1N1 and H3N2, the protection may not be sufficient.

The study also found that the vaccine strains selected by World Health Organization (WHO) for trivalent vaccines in the last 10 years did not match well with the influenza B virus lineage circulated in Hong Kong. In the past 10 years, successful matches with the major circulating lineage (>50%) were achieved in six years only; and only two out of six years in which one virus lineage predominated (>80%) the circulating pool were successfully matched.

The WHO has provided two groups of influenza B virus for producing quadrivalent vaccine since February 2012 which covers both lineages of influenza B virus in addition to influenza A H1N1 and H3N2. The new quadrivalent vaccine is expected to offer a better control over influenza in Hong Kong, and is especially effective in containing infection among children. CUHK recommends the public to receive the current trivalent influenza vaccination before the new form of vaccine becomes available.

More Press Releases

CUHK Conducts Hong Kong’s First Study on Seven Common Respiratory Viruses Revealing Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Influenza A as Prevalent Fatal Types

CUHK Conducts Hong Kong’s First Study on Seven Common Respiratory Viruses Revealing Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Influenza A as Prevalent Fatal Types

Research
CUHK-Designed Intervention Package Proves Effective to Increase Influenza Vaccine Uptake in Hong Kong Young Children

CUHK-Designed Intervention Package Proves Effective to Increase Influenza Vaccine Uptake in Hong Kong Young Children

Research
CUHK Conducts Asia's Largest Clinical Study on Life-threatening Infections caused by RSV and Influenza in Hong Kong Adults and Elderly

CUHK Conducts Asia's Largest Clinical Study on Life-threatening Infections caused by RSV and Influenza in Hong Kong Adults and Elderly

Research
CU Medicine Survey Shows Only 25% of Unvaccinated People Intend to Get Inoculated in the Coming Six Months “Multiple Incentives” are Urgently Needed

CU Medicine Survey Shows Only 25% of Unvaccinated People Intend to Get Inoculated in the Coming Six Months “Multiple Incentives” are Urgently Needed

Research
CUHK Develops a Computational Platform to Predict Vaccine Effectiveness by Virus Genome

CUHK Develops a Computational Platform to Predict Vaccine Effectiveness by Virus Genome

Research
CUHK Reveals the Key to a Successful HPV Vaccination Programme

CUHK Reveals the Key to a Successful HPV Vaccination Programme

Research
CUHK Proves Rotavirus Vaccine Highly Effective for HK Children

CUHK Proves Rotavirus Vaccine Highly Effective for HK Children

Research
CUHK Research Findings on Severe Human Swine Flu in Hong Kong

CUHK Research Findings on Severe Human Swine Flu in Hong Kong

Research
CUHK survey shows multiple challenges to parental HPV vaccination decision-making for daughters among the South Asian ethnic minorities in Hong Kong

CUHK survey shows multiple challenges to parental HPV vaccination decision-making for daughters among the South Asian ethnic minorities in Hong Kong

Research
CUHK develops a real-time bioinformatics platform to predict COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 variants with 95% accuracy

CUHK develops a real-time bioinformatics platform to predict COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 variants with 95% accuracy

Research
CUHK study suggests COVID-19 booster shot is key to protecting against infection among high-risk populations and from variants of concern

CUHK study suggests COVID-19 booster shot is key to protecting against infection among high-risk populations and from variants of concern

Research
CU Medicine proves basophil activation test has much higher diagnostic accuracy  for shrimp allergy than conventional allergy tests

CU Medicine proves basophil activation test has much higher diagnostic accuracy for shrimp allergy than conventional allergy tests

Research
HKUMed-CU Medicine joint study finds COVID-19 variant Omicron significantly reduces virus neutralisation ability of BioNTech vaccine

HKUMed-CU Medicine joint study finds COVID-19 variant Omicron significantly reduces virus neutralisation ability of BioNTech vaccine

Research
Joint CUHK-HKU study discovers efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines correlates with a probiotic bacterium, Bifidobacterium adolescentis

Joint CUHK-HKU study discovers efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines correlates with a probiotic bacterium, Bifidobacterium adolescentis

Research
CUHK Study Suggests a Standardised Experimental Setup is the Key to Optimise  Performance of COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Tests

CUHK Study Suggests a Standardised Experimental Setup is the Key to Optimise Performance of COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Tests

Research
CU Medicine Estimates 20,000 COVID-19 Hidden Infections in Hong Kong  All Vaccinated Persons in HK Developed Neutralising Antibody After Two Doses  Urgent Call for the Largely Unprotected Population to Get Vaccinated

CU Medicine Estimates 20,000 COVID-19 Hidden Infections in Hong Kong All Vaccinated Persons in HK Developed Neutralising Antibody After Two Doses Urgent Call for the Largely Unprotected Population to Get Vaccinated

Research
CU Medicine Study Suggests Toddlers are at High Risk of Being  “Silent Spreaders of SARS-CoV2 Infection”

CU Medicine Study Suggests Toddlers are at High Risk of Being “Silent Spreaders of SARS-CoV2 Infection”

Research
CU Medicine Survey Shows Government Recommendation as the Strongest Driver for COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance

CU Medicine Survey Shows Government Recommendation as the Strongest Driver for COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance

Research
CU Medicine Studies Suggest Grass Carp as a Major Source of Fish Allergy in Hong Kong And Identify Novel Allergenic Marker Cten i 1 to Promote Accurate Diagnosis

CU Medicine Studies Suggest Grass Carp as a Major Source of Fish Allergy in Hong Kong And Identify Novel Allergenic Marker Cten i 1 to Promote Accurate Diagnosis

Research
CU Medicine Found SARS-CoV2 in Infants' Stool A Coronavirus Testing Centre Is Established for Paediatric Population to Identify Silent Carriers

CU Medicine Found SARS-CoV2 in Infants' Stool A Coronavirus Testing Centre Is Established for Paediatric Population to Identify Silent Carriers

Research
CU Medicine Develops a Probiotic Formula to Target Imbalance in Gut Microbiota in COVID-19

CU Medicine Develops a Probiotic Formula to Target Imbalance in Gut Microbiota in COVID-19

Research
CU Medicine Recruits 3,000 Persons to Investigate Hidden Infection and Break the Obstacles in Containing COVID-19 in Hong Kong

CU Medicine Recruits 3,000 Persons to Investigate Hidden Infection and Break the Obstacles in Containing COVID-19 in Hong Kong

Research
CU Medicine Offers Free Stool Screening Test for COVID-19 in Children arriving at Airport

CU Medicine Offers Free Stool Screening Test for COVID-19 in Children arriving at Airport

Clinical service
CUHK Finds that the Coronavirus Can Persist in Stool after Its Clearance in Respiratory Tract Will Conduct Stool Test for People in Quarantine Camps for Early Identification

CUHK Finds that the Coronavirus Can Persist in Stool after Its Clearance in Respiratory Tract Will Conduct Stool Test for People in Quarantine Camps for Early Identification

Research
CUHK Study Sees the Exposure to Farm Environment  Is Beneficial for Children to Prevent Asthma

CUHK Study Sees the Exposure to Farm Environment Is Beneficial for Children to Prevent Asthma

Research
CUHK Establishes Hong Kong Hub of Paediatric Excellence (HK HOPE) Multidisciplinary Efforts Across the Globe to Advance Children’s Health and Well-being

CUHK Establishes Hong Kong Hub of Paediatric Excellence (HK HOPE) Multidisciplinary Efforts Across the Globe to Advance Children’s Health and Well-being

Health Campaign
CUHK Establishes Asia’s First Microbiota Transplantation and Research Centre Hope for New Strategies in Disease Prevention and Cure

CUHK Establishes Asia’s First Microbiota Transplantation and Research Centre Hope for New Strategies in Disease Prevention and Cure

Research
CUHK Research Shows 1 in 5 Throat Cancer Patients in HK is HPV infected

CUHK Research Shows 1 in 5 Throat Cancer Patients in HK is HPV infected

Research
CUHK Reveals Hepatitis B Prevalence Among Pregnant Women Remains High Despite More Than 25 Years of Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination

CUHK Reveals Hepatitis B Prevalence Among Pregnant Women Remains High Despite More Than 25 Years of Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination

Research
CUHK Unveils Genome of Dermatophagoides farinae Casting New Light on Diagnosis and Interventions of Inhalant Allergies

CUHK Unveils Genome of Dermatophagoides farinae Casting New Light on Diagnosis and Interventions of Inhalant Allergies

Research
CUHK will hold 'SARS A Decade On: A Conference for the Health Professionals'

CUHK will hold 'SARS A Decade On: A Conference for the Health Professionals'

Symposium
The Official Launch of E-community Surveillance System for Influenza-like illness (EcSS) by CUHK

The Official Launch of E-community Surveillance System for Influenza-like illness (EcSS) by CUHK

Health Campaign

Our Expert List

Many experts under the Faculty of Medicine are available for media interview.
Please click here for the expert list or contact us.