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HKU Medical Faculty kicks off Student Flu Vaccination Campaign

13 Nov 2017

 

To encourage more healthcare workers and medical students to take influenza vaccination Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine (the Faculty), The University of Hong Kong (HKU) will provide its students with free influenza vaccination in the fortnight period commencing from November 20, 2017.  The Faculty calls for students’ participation in this vaccination campaign with the objective of protecting healthcare workers from virus infection and preventing the spread of influenza within hospitals.

As the Faculty celebrates “130 Years of Medicine in Hong Kong”, it has invited 130 medical and nursing students to participate in the kick-off ceremony of the influenza vaccination campaign.  Professor Ivan Hung Fan-ngai, Clinical Professor of Department of Medicine and Assistant Dean (Clinical Curriculum and Assessment), Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU, demonstrating the importance, received the influenza vaccine at the ceremony, and he also oversaw the entire process of students receiving influenza vaccination.  130 medical and nursing students assisted in injecting quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines with each other, with the aim to encouraging more healthcare workers to take the influenza vaccination, reinforcing the first line of defence against flu.

The influenza vaccination rate of Hong Kong people has all along been on the low side.  For the healthcare workers working in hospitals and clinics, the influenza vaccination rate is merely 30%, compared with that of 60% to 70% in other countries.   Professor Hung commented that the influenza vaccination is currently the safest and most effective in preventing seasonal influenza and its complications, and recommended citizens and healthcare workers to receive vaccine before the peak flu season.  This will help safeguard personal health and reduce the chance of outbreaks in community.  He also pointed out the low rate of influenza vaccination of healthcare workers will increase their chance of infection in peak flu season.  Early vaccination among healthcare workers can effectively prevent the virus infection and the spread of influenza within hospitals, protecting both healthcare workers and patients.

The Faculty will provide the students with free quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines in the fortnight period commencing from November 20, 2017.  Professor Hung hoped that the campaign will encourage more medical and nursing students to embrace the importance of influenza vaccination, and boost the overall vaccination rate in Hong Kong in the long run.

Media enquiries
Please contact Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong by email (medkefa@hku.hk).

Please visit the website at http://www.med.hku.hk/news/ for press photos.