Flue cases up slightly, but‘no alarm’: authorities

Although there was a slight spike in the number of influenza cases handled by local hospitals during Shanghai's winter this year, health authorities said Wednesday that there is "no cause for alarm."

No specific figures were released, however, but authorities said that estimates show that more people caught the flu during the first some two months of the year compared to the same period last year.

With no major outbreaks or fatal cases, the situation is under control, said Lu Hongzhou, director of Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, which is responsible for tracking the city's flu cases.

"A minor rise in the number of flu cases is not unreasonable, especially given the warmer climate experienced in the city this winter," he told the Global Times Wednesday.

"In fact, as the weather continues to warm, we are likely to see more people catch the flu as the onset of spring approaches," he added. "Weather changes are the main reason behind the increased number of flu patients."

The recent drop in temperatures brought 210 flu patients to downtown Huashan Hospital last week, an increase of 20 percent compared to the same time last year, according to Dai Runming, a press officer for the Jing'an district hospital.

"But none of the cases have been that serious," he told the Global Times Wednesday. "While most patients have had a fever, they haven't had any life-threatening conditions."

Lu, from the city's public health clinical center, meanwhile, advised that people with more vulnerable health conditions, such as seniors, consider getting a flu vaccine to reduce their chances of getting sick over the next month or so, as the spring weather increases risk of infection.

"Of course, the flu vaccine offers no guarantees, but it has been medically proven to reduce health risks by more than 60 percent," he said.