DH responds to enquiries regarding Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme
In response to media enquiries regarding the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme (HKCIP), the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (August 11) emphasised that all public health policies and medical recommendations must be based on scientific evidence. Vaccination schedules should not be altered arbitrarily without reliable scientific data or medical research supporting such changes, in order to avoid posing significant and irreversible public health risks to children. Since delaying vaccinations reduces protection against relevant infectious diseases, the CHP reminds parents to arrange for their children to receive vaccinations in accordance with the HKCIP to ensure comprehensive and timely protection.
Hong Kong has implemented the HKCIP since the 1960s, providing immunisation services to children through the DH's Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) and School Immunisation Teams. Currently, based on the recommendations of the Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (SCVPD) under the CHP, infants from birth to students of Primary Six should receive multiple vaccines and booster doses under the HKCIP to prevent tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, pneumococcal infection, chickenpox, measles, mumps and rubella (also known as "German Measles"). Besides, the HKCIP provides the human papillomavirus vaccinations to eligible Primary schoolgirls to prevent cervical cancer. In addition to immunising children, the Government also provides vaccination services to high-risk groups against seasonal influenza, pneumococcal infection and COVID-19 infection.
"The Government has consistently promoted childhood vaccinations on all fronts. The SCVPD under the CHP makes recommendations on the HKCIP from a public health perspective. Thanks to the trust and support of parents, schools and the healthcare professionals towards the HKCIP over the years, immunisation coverage has remained extremely high, successfully keeping the incidence of related childhood infectious diseases in Hong Kong at extremely low levels. With the help of vaccines, smallpox was eradicated globally in 1980, and poliomyelitis was eliminated in Hong Kong in 2000. Measles and rubella were successful eliminated in Hong Kong in 2016 and 2021 respectively," the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, said.
Combined Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine
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Under the HKCIP, children receive the combined MMR vaccine at 12 months, followed by the Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella (MMRV) vaccine at 18 months. All of the currently used vaccines are combination vaccines. Extensive international and local scientific data confirm that both types of combination vaccines are safe and effective, providing sufficient protection against the infectious diseases they cover. In addition, combination vaccines have the advantage of reducing the number of injections children need to receive and significantly lowering the risk of missed doses. These combination vaccines are currently widely used around the world. Since 1990, Hong Kong has provided the combined MMR vaccine to all one-year-old children and introduced a two-dose MMR vaccination schedule in 1996, resulting in a significant decline in the number of related disease cases. According to immunisation coverage rates among primary school students and regular territory-wide immunisation coverage surveys conducted by the DH, the MMR and MMRV vaccination coverage has remained well above 95 per cent, while the local seroprevalence rates of measles antibodies reflect that the vast majority of the public in Hong Kong are immune to measles.
Measles remains endemic in many parts of the world. Over the past two years, a substantial upward trend has been observed in the number of measles cases in multiple regions, with large-scale outbreaks persisting due to the relatively low vaccination rate. This has led to a resurgence of community transmission in some countries that had previously eliminated measles, serving as a wake-up call that we must continue to maintain high overall vaccination rates to ensure herd immunity. Overseas cases mainly affected people who were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status, underscoring the importance of keeping up a high vaccination rate and herd immunity. As Hong Kong's vaccination coverage has consistently remained at a high level, the number of imported cases recorded in the city over the past two years has not risen significantly as a result, and the city has successfully maintained its measles-eliminated status to date.
Hepatitis B vaccine
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According to the World Health Organization's recommendations, receiving the hepatitis B vaccine at birth and completing the three-dose series as scheduled are crucial measures for preventing infection and reducing the public health burden of hepatitis B.
Hong Kong's current hepatitis B vaccination coverage rate among pre-school children stands at 99 per cent. According to the Population Health Survey 2020-22, prevalence of hepatitis B among those born after the introduction of the universal childhood hepatitis B immunisation programme in 1988 has dropped to below one per cent, reflecting Hong Kong's successful progress towards realising the goal of "hepatitis B-free generation". The provision of hepatitis B vaccination to newborns has been instrumental in this achievement.
COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines
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Scientific evidence shows that vaccination is one of the most effective means to prevent severe cases of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 as well as their complications. The vaccines can significantly reduce the risks of in-patient admission and mortality. Therefore, the CHP urged members of the public, particularly high-risk groups such as the elderly, children, and adults with underlying illnesses or immunosuppression, to receive vaccination timely to protect their personal health and reduce the risk of serious complications and death from infection.
Parents of preschool children who have not yet received the age-appropriate vaccines are urged to make an appointment at their registered MCHCs as soon as possible, or consult their family doctors to arrange vaccination. New immigrants to Hong Kong or those recently arrived in Hong Kong, as well as their children, who are unsure of their immunisation status or have not completed their vaccination series, are advised to complete any missing doses before arrival to prevent infectious diseases such as measles, chickenpox, and hepatitis B.
The DH will continue to work with the SCVPD to monitor the situation regarding various vaccine-preventable diseases and scientific developments regarding new vaccines. Experts will be consulted as needed to review and update the vaccines recommendations in a timely manner.
Source: AI-found images
