The Health Bureau (SSM) confirmed last night a serious flu case, a 67-year-old local man suffering from various chronic diseases.
According to an SSM statement, the patient sought treatment at the private Kiang Wu Hospital for fever and dyspnoea (shortness of breath) on January 11. He tested positive for the influenza A virus, while chest radiography showed that he was suffering from double pneumonia, after which he was immediately hospitalised and given Tamiflu.
Due to cardiac and respiratory insufficiency, the patient continues to be connected to a mechanical ventilator in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). He had not been vaccinated again influenza for the current flu season, the statement pointed out.
The statement pointed out that the Health Bureau has registered 28 flu-cum-pneumonia patients since September last year, 22 of who had not been vaccinated against influenza. A total of six patients were still under observation on Sunday, aged between 63 and 84, two of them requiring mechanical ventilation.
According to the statement, Macau’s flu season peaks between January and March, usually followed by a “mini-peak” between June and August.
According to the Macau Post Daily, the statement underlined that it takes two to three weeks for flu shots to produce enough antibodies to protect against influenza. The Health Bureau urged the population’s high-risk segments – the elderly, children, pregnant women, obese persons and people suffering from chronic diseases – to get their flu jabs as soon as possible.
