04 November 2024
Event Date(s)/Period(s)
04 November 2024
Organised by:
School of Public Health
In the 2018-19 academic year, the Department of Health of the HKSAR Government launched a school-based Seasonal Influenza Vaccination (SIV) service in local schools through the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme. Led by Professor Dennis Ip, Clinical Associate Professor and Head of the Division of Community Medicine and Public Health Practice of the School, the School of Public Health's health promotion team has been part of this programme for seven consecutive seasons. They have visited various local kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and have administered over 55,000 doses of influenza vaccine to students. Besides being one of the largest service providers in the territory, the team is the only outreach service provider offering a choice between the Inactivated Influenza Vaccine (IIV), by injection, or the Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV), delivered by nasal spray, at the school level. Supported by a commissioned Health and Medical Research Fund, Professor Ip's team is assisting the Government in evaluating vaccine acceptability, the direct protective effect on the vaccinated children, and indirect protection at the household, school and community levels.
The 2024-25 season marks a significant milestone as it is the first time service providers can offer both the IIV and LAIV within the same vaccination session. This new arrangement, known as the ‘hybrid mode’, aims to improve vaccine acceptance among children by providing free choice of vaccine type in the same school. Professor Ip's team was visited by the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, and the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Edwin Tsui, on 4 November 2024, to observe their outreach vaccination service and to promote vaccination under this new hybrid vaccination arrangement.
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