{"id":1864,"date":"2018-12-03T17:25:02","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T09:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pacificprime.hk\/blog\/?p=1864"},"modified":"2019-05-29T11:15:08","modified_gmt":"2019-05-29T03:15:08","slug":"are-you-ready-for-the-peak-flu-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pacificprime.hk\/blog\/are-you-ready-for-the-peak-flu-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Are you ready for the peak flu season?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of the year again when the cold spell hits the city. Not only does it bring low temperatures, but also <\/span>seasonal influenza<\/span><\/a>, which is usually more common from January to March, and from July to August. During these time periods, it is very common to see the government taking prompt actions to prevent potential outbreaks, such as closing schools and offering flu vaccines to high-risk groups, such as the elderly and children. After all, Hong Kong is a crowded city and without proper preventive measures, a single case can easily snowball into a catastrophic epidemic. <\/span><\/p>\n

Albeit the rise of anti-vaxxers in recent year, <\/span>vaccines<\/span><\/a> remain the strongest line of defense against influenza. With this in mind, Pacific Prime Hong Kong presents this article on flu vaccines and how to get the right insurance coverage for it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Individual<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

How do vaccines work?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Vaccines work by training the immune system to combat diseases. Under normal conditions, our immune cells will produce antibodies to repel the invaders and protect ourselves against future infection. However, for nastier diseases like the measles virus or whooping cough, the infection may kill us before antibodies are even produced. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s when vaccines come in handy. Made of dead or weakened pathogen, a vaccine can teach our body how to strike down the virus\/bacteria quickly and hence acquire immunity to it. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, one downside to vaccines is that not all people can get vaccinated. If they are too young or their immune system is too weak, they can\u2019t be vaccinated. However, these people may still be able to benefit from \u2018herd immunity\u2019 should everyone around them gets vaccinated. This is because they are not likely to contract the virus in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

For flu vaccines, the shot takes about four weeks to become effective. Although it is made based on a previous year\u2019s antigen and may not closely match with the viruses, it is still worth making a regular habit of getting vaccinated every year since it can protect you and others, as well as prevent complications.<\/span><\/p>\n

The incident of flu vaccines with impurities<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n

In November this year, it was found that 75,000 doses from French drugmaker Sanofi Pasteur’s flu vaccine containing \u201cwhite particles\u201d have been administered to different public healthcare providers in Hong Kong. While there have not been any reports of adverse reactions with the affected batch so far, hospitals and outpatient clinics have since temporarily suspended relevant services.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hong Kong Department of Health<\/span><\/a> was not aware of the problem until Taiwan\u2019s Food and Drug Administration found impurities in two batches during routine inspections. Experts estimated that the white particles could result from contamination during the manufacturing process or low storage temperatures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite critics stating that the incident has undermined the reputation of the local healthcare system, authorities stress that there was \u201cno evidence to show the vaccines had been compromised in quality, safety or efficacy, or posed any safety threat to recipients\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to protect yourself from the flu<\/span><\/h2>\n

According to the <\/span>latest statistics<\/span><\/a> from the Center for Health Protection (CHP), there has been a total of 723 severe flu cases in 2018, compared with 672 last year. <\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from getting vaccinated, which is more costly and may cause complications such as mild flu-like symptoms and pain around the injection site, there is a myriad of precautionary measures you can take to protect yourself from flu. The CHP recommends that the public follow the prevention methods below:<\/span><\/p>\n