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Experts dismiss Leon Lai's vaccine theory

15 Feb – First it was Kay Tse, now Cantopop King Leon Lai is causing concern among experts for expressing his views about the flu vaccines.

As reported on South China Morning Post, on 9 February, Leon raised doubt on social media, saying that the new vaccine should be in Hong Kong around March, and that the existing influenza vaccine on the market is very likely to be last year's stock, which he thinks might not be effective in fighting off the new breed of flu virus.

"Please consult your doctor or go online to search for clear information," he added.

His post was strongly supported by many fans, with some expressing awe for the singer for being "brave" and "concerned" about his fans and the people he loves.

Professor Gabriel Leung, Dean of the University of Hong Kong's medical school recently responded to the view, saying that the comments - whether it be from Leon or Kay Tse - had no support from the scientific and medical fields, and only led to parents questioning the effectiveness of the flu shots.

"I have never thought of speaking through the media. But a few things have happened recently," he said.

Leung shared that in a study looking into the data of 1078 children who were admitted to hospitals between December last year to January 2018; among the 339 suffered from fever and acute respiratory illness, only 22 had been vaccinated. On the other hand, the remaining 739 children were unaffected by the virus, with 103 have received seasonal flu vaccinations.

This, he said, concluded that the flu vaccinations are 66 percent effective.

However, he added, "No medicine in the world is 100 percent effective. This is already a very ideal number worldwide."

On the other hand, Chinese University's Professor David Hui stated that the current vaccines could cover the Influenza B virus, which is now the dominant strain. He also added that vaccines from the previous season had expired and thus destroyed.

(Photo Source: AFP)