Children between 6 months and 6 years old will each get an HK$80 subsidy for an influenza vaccination in private clinics, the government announced yesterday.

Children with Hong Kong resident status who are over six years of age but attending kindergartens or child care centers will also be eligible for the scheme.

At present the scheme only covers children between six and 23 months old.

Under the new scheme, the government will subsidize HK$80 per injection for each eligible child to receive vaccination from private doctors between November 1 this year and March 31, 2009.

Announcing the scheme yesterday, Secretary for Food and Health York Chow said the scheme is expected to benefit 300,000 children and will cost about HK$5.6 million.

The cost per vaccine is HK$60-70 and the charge per injection ranges from HK$100 to HK$300.

Chow pointed out that the amount of the subsidy is reasonable as the cost should be shared by the government and parents.

Private doctors shall clearly mark the prices of the vaccines and parents will only need to pay the remaining charge after the HK$80 subsidy is discounted.

Apart from administering the vaccines, Chow said private doctors are required to explain to the parents the impacts and side-effects of the vaccines.

Centre for Health Protection (CHP) controller Thomas Tsang said infants who had never received influenza vaccination should receive two injections and the government will provide subsidies for both times.

He hoped the expanded scheme would help curb the spread of influenza.

However, he stressed that the peak period will not go away and expected the number of flu cases to peak from January to March next year.

But Dr Tse Hung-hing, president of the Hong Kong Medical Association, said only half of the eligible children will take advantage of the scheme.

Parents would still have to pay the remaining fees of up to a few hundred dollars and that could turn parents away, he explained.

Parents may visit the CHP website or call its hotline on 2125 2125 to look for doctors participating in the scheme.

(HK Edition 07/31/2008 page1)