Children's public health clinics in Hong Kong will place a monthly cap on services for nonlocal children following a surge in requests by mainland residents in the wake of the expired vaccine scare.

The SAR's Department of Health announced on Wednesday a maximum of 120 nonlocal children each month citywide could receive vaccinations.

The quota will start on April 1, and comes as telephone booking services have been inundated following reports in February of improperly stored or expired vaccines being sold on the Chinese mainland.

Vaccinations can still be purchased through private clinics that are not subject to any caps.

Teresa Li, assistant director of health in Hong Kong, said that telephone bookings surged to 120 on Tuesday, from just a few each day in recent years.

Li said some of the city's 31 public centers are fully booked until May.

Li stressed that local children will be given priority in the event of a vaccine shortage and services for nonlocal children will be halted if necessary. Li added, however, that there were no current threats to local stockpiles.

Last year, 1,300 nonlocal children received vaccinations in the city's public health centers.

Li suggested that children be immunized where they live, rather than during travel.

Zhong Huaqing, the father of a 1-year-old boy from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, said he would wait for further clarification before getting his baby's next vaccination locally, as his faith in Shenzhen's healthcare was unshaken.

"Besides, it's a lot of trouble and takes a lot of time to get the same shots in Hong Kong. It's also much more expensive," Zhong said.