Health officials are calling on residents to take preventative measures against influenza, as the weekly positive detection rate rises past the official alert threshold of 13.1 percent.
Laboratory data from late June showed a sharp rise in flu cases, with the weekly positivity rate climbing to 20.9 percent – nearly triple the 7.2 percent reported a month prior. The figure has been climbing since mid-May, the Macau Daily Times reports.
Between 22 and 28 June, Adult Emergency Services reported a 23 percent increase in flu-related visits, which make up 4.1 percent of total consultations. Paediatric Emergency Services saw a 26.6 percent increase, with flu cases making up almost a quarter of visits.
Collective outbreaks – five of which were recorded last week – are mainly occurring in daycare centres, kindergartens and primary schools, the Times says.
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The current outbreak is being driven by influenza B and influenza A (H3) strains, differing from last winter’s predominance of influenza A (H1).
The Health Bureau has confirmed that this year’s flu vaccines cover the circulating strains and is calling on residents, particularly those who have not been vaccinated since September 2024, to get immunised as soon as possible.
It also recommends practicing good hand hygiene, wearing masks when symptomatic or caring for sick individuals, avoiding crowded areas and seeking medical attention if flu symptoms develop.
Macao has recorded 10 severe influenza cases requiring ventilators since January, seven of which involved patients who had not received a seasonal flu vaccination. At least two people died of flu-related illnesses in February, during the winter peak. Neither was vaccinated.
