Doctors urge greater public awareness of deadly meningococcal disease as survey exposes low knowledge and vaccine uptake
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenWynna WongPublished: 4:47pm, 5 Jul 2026Nearly 60 per cent of Hong Kong parents mistakenly believe that invasive meningococcal disease is no different from a common cold, a survey has found, prompting doctors to urge greater public awareness of the potentially fatal infection ahead of the summer travel season.
The warning follows a survey by the Hong Kong Early Childhood Educators Association of 300 parents and teachers. Parents scored an average of 3.84 out of 10 on their knowledge of the disease, compared with 4.8 for teachers.
The survey, released on Sunday, also found that 78 per cent of parents had not vaccinated their children against meningococcal disease, while more than one-third were unaware that a vaccine was available.
Eighty-six per cent of respondents had travelled with their children over the past year, with mainland China, Taiwan and Macau the most popular destinations.
Dr Mike Kwan Yat-wah, a specialist in paediatric immunology, allergy and infectious diseases, said the disease could progress rapidly and have devastating consequences, particularly among infants and adolescents.
“Prevention of meningococcal disease is one of the World Health Organization’s priority tasks,” he said. “Parents should take preventive measures, especially when infectious diseases are circulating, and discuss with their doctors whether vaccination is appropriate.”
