18 May 2024
Event Date(s)/Period(s)
18 May 2024
Organised by:
School of Public Health
Over the years, the Division of Public Health Laboratory Sciences of the School of Public Health has organised the ‘Little Dr Flu 2.0’ programme to educate primary school students about respiratory diseases through laboratory visits and raise personal hygiene awareness among the next generation.
About 20 students from St Paul's Co-educational College Primary School took part in the programme, becoming ‘public health little scientists’ during their visit to the Laboratory Block of HKU's LKS Faculty of Medicine. They attended the Little Dr Flu Classroom, where they learned about bacteria and viruses and the transmission routes of the influenza virus, and visited various laboratories, including the cell culture station, the autoclave room, the liquid nitrogen (N2) tank, the bio-bank, and a biosafety level 3 laboratory.
During the practical session, the students cultured bacteria from their fingertips and tested germ levels on their unclean, soap-washed and sanitised fingertips, which helped them understand the importance of maintaining proper hand hygiene. They also observed SARS-CoV-2 infected cells and normal cells from the alveolus, nasopharynx and bronchus under the microscope.
Launched in 2013 by Professor Michael Chan Chi-wai, Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, ‘Little Dr Flu’ aims to raise awareness of influenza infection, promote understanding of public health, etiological agents and the human respiratory system, and inspire children’s interest in science. In 2024, the programme was upgraded to ‘Little Dr Flu 2.0’, introducing information on COVID-19.
Kudos to the education ambassadors who made this community engagement project possible (in alphabetical order of surnames): Ms Jenny Chan, Ms Manka Chan, Mr Owen Chan, Dr Rui Chen, Dr Rachel Ching, Dr John Ho, Professor Kenrie Hui, Ms Tonia Kam, Ms Lucy Kwok, Dr Rita Lai, Ms Edwina Lee, Mr Leon Leung, Dr Angel Ma, Mr Ka-chun Ng, Dr Mark Sze-To, Ms Nicole Tsang and Mr Peter Wong.
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