Gov’t braces for flu season with range of emergency response measures

The Health Bureau (SSM) unveiled plans to tackle the autumn and winter influenza surge by allocating manpower and medical resources based on real-time monitoring of patient attendance and wait times.

Measures include mobilizing staff from various hospital specialties and health centers to support emergency services, ensuring reasonable queue lengths and manageable waiting times.

Chang Tam Fei, director of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department of Conde de S. Januário, reported that the hospital is experiencing a rise in patient admissions.

He stated that rehabilitation areas might be repurposed to provide additional beds if needed. Currently, the average waiting time for A&E services is about two hours, though it may increase during peak hours.

According to Chang, respiratory illnesses have been on the rise, with approximately 900 patients seeking treatment daily at A&E departments in recent days.

Of these, 500 visited adult A&E facilities, while 200 sought care at pediatric A&E departments, reflecting a notable overall increase.

He urged patients with mild respiratory symptoms to utilize community resources, such as health centers, subsidized clinics, or private medical providers, to avoid overburdening emergency services.

The SSM recently reported two severe influenza cases. One case involved a previously healthy 38-year-old patient who developed serious pneumonia after being infected with the influenza virus. Chang explained that severe outcomes can result from two types of immune system responses: an overly strong response causing severe inflammation, or a weakened immune response leading to secondary bacterial infections. In this case, the patient had a co-infection of influenza and streptococcus, which worsened their condition.

The doctor highlighted that both critically ill patients experienced significant respiratory difficulties upon returning to the clinic, with one showing rapid deterioration due to the co-infection.