Health officials announced that eligible people will be able to receive free or subsidised influenza vaccinations starting September 17 as part of the government’s annual effort to curb seasonal flu outbreaks.

The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programmes, coordinated by the Centre for Health Protection, will once again prioritise high-risk groups, especially children, the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions.

The centre's controller, Edwin Tsui, confirmed that the government has procured around 1.3 million vaccine doses for this year’s campaign.

The supply has been contracted to two licensed pharmaceutical wholesalers and includes four vaccine types across three platforms: injectable inactivated vaccines, nasal spray live-attenuated vaccines and injectable recombinant vaccines.

Tsui emphasised the importance of immunisation in protecting the most vulnerable.

"The seasonal influenza vaccine is very useful to reduce the mortality and morbidity and hospitalisation for both children and also elders," he said.

"From our analysis of previous influenza seasons, those elders and also children are more vulnerable to the influenza attack. So having the influenza vaccine will definitely safeguard the health of the children and the elders."

In the previous season, more than 2.03 million doses were administered under various government vaccination programmes.

Overall coverage rates for target groups remained comparable to the previous year, though some age brackets saw notable improvements.

Vaccination coverage for youngsters aged six months to 18 years hit 64.8 percent – 13 percentage points higher than the three-season average for the same period.

Among those aged between 12 and 18, the rate reached 61.4 percent, marking an increase of 22.6 percentage points.

The School Outreach Programme also expanded its reach, with more than 2,300 schools – representing 99 percent of all schools – completing vaccination activities by the end of December 2025, up from 91 percent the previous year.

However, Tsui acknowledged that vaccination rates remained low in certain groups. Only 27 percent of infants aged six months to two years and 8.3 percent of adults aged 18 to 49 with chronic illnesses have been vaccinated.

"In the future, we have to continue to promote the vaccination coverage to these target groups," he said.

Reassuring the public, Tsui said this season’s vaccines are well matched to those influenza strains currently circulating.

He added that health officials would continue to collaborate with the World Health Organization to monitor viral evolution and adjust strategies as needed.



Edited by Edmond Fong