Japan’s health ministry has reported a record-high number of influenza cases, with an average of 64.39 patients per clinic in the final week of December. This is the highest since records began in 1999, the health ministry confirmed on Thursday.
In the final week of Dec. 2024, there were a total of 317,812 reported cases of the flu, which is nearly three times compared to 2023. The average number of cases per clinic rose from 42.66 the previous week. The cases of flu are on the rise, with all 47 prefectures reporting an increase in patients from a week before. Oita Prefecture recorded the highest average at 104.84 cases per clinic, while Kagoshima and Saga came next with 96.4 and 94.36 cases recorded respectively. An average of 56.52 cases per clinic were recorded in Tokyo.
“We saw a record high in 2019 (in Tokyo), but we are currently nearing those numbers,” the Tokyo Gov. said. Yuriko Koike on Friday added, “If you feel sick, please take care of your own health and consider the risk of infection to those around you we ask that everyone consider these factors and make careful decisions when, for example, participating in an event.”
Flu cases have reached the ministry’s ‘warning level’ in 43 prefectures, with about an average of 30 cases per clinic or more. The surge has led to a standstill in the education sector, with 1,838 schools, daycare centers, and kindergartens either canceling classes or shutting down entirely. Among them were 1,200 elementary schools, 391 middle schools, and 135 high schools. With students nearing entrance exams for schools, the outbreak has really caused a burden to prevent catching the flu.
Between September and December, 11,800 flu patients were hospitalized nationwide, with most being individuals over 60 years old. The government has urged the people to wear masks and also practise handwashing to prevent infection.
As the flu outbreak seems no signs of stopping, Health Minister Takamaro Fukuoka warned clinics and pharmacies on Friday against over-ordering flu medicines, as some pharmaceutical companies had suspended shipments of their products due to the sudden surge in demand.
“We can handle the situation with the appropriate usage and ordering of the products,” Fukuoka said, adding that there is a stock of flu remedies for around 15 million patients.
On Wednesday, Sawai Pharmaceutical announced that it had suspended shipments of some of its influenza treatment drugs until at least the end of the month, citing unexpectedly high demand that has continued to surpass their projections.
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“We are currently unable to keep up with production and are having difficulty supplying the product. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by our inability to ensure a stable supply of products, which is one of our important missions as a pharmaceutical company,” they said in a statement.
The COVID-19 cases too are on the rise, with an average of 7.01 patients per clinic, which is high considering the previous week (5.48), and up compared to the previous year.
(Representative image/ Pic courtesy: iStock)
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