11-year-old girl in serious condition with flu pneumonia
HK01 · 6 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago4 MIN
Summary
An 11-year-old girl with a chronic illness has been admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit at Queen Mary Hospital after testing positive for influenza A (H1) and being clinically diagnosed with severe pneumonia. The Centre for Health Protection said she had not received the 2026/27 seasonal influenza vaccine and had no travel history during the incubation period.
Key Points
- The girl developed a cough on September 29, a fever on September 30, and sought treatment on October 3 for shortness of breath and vomiting before being referred from a private clinic to Queen Mary Hospital.
- Laboratory testing on her respiratory sample confirmed influenza A (H1), and doctors diagnosed severe pneumonia; she is now in serious condition in the hospital’s paediatric intensive care unit.
- Initial investigation found no travel during the incubation period, while one household contact recently had mild upper respiratory symptoms and has since recovered.
- The Centre for Health Protection said the patient had not received the 2026/27 seasonal influenza vaccine, and the case remains under investigation.
- Director of Health Protection Edwin Tsui Lok-kin (徐樂堅) said Hong Kong entered flu season in late June, and 23 severe paediatric influenza cases have been recorded since then, including one death.
Why It Matters
Health officials said local influenza activity has stayed at a high level for more than three months, with influenza A (H1) now the predominant circulating strain. After the September school term began, authorities recorded nearly 370 influenza-like illness outbreaks in schools affecting about 2,200 people, and expect flu activity to remain elevated in the coming weeks.