Japan enters an unusually early flu season
This year marks the second-earliest start of the season, according to health ministry records dating back to 1999.
Japan has officially entered the flu season, marking the second-earliest start since records began in 1999, according to the health ministry. The number of influenza patients reached 4,094, or 1.11 per hospital, in the week ending Sunday, surpassing the threshold of 1 patient per clinic for the start of the season. This early onset is about a month ahead of last year's start, which occurred in mid-September.
The earliest start on record was in 2009, when cases exceeded the threshold in early August. By prefecture, Okinawa had the highest average number of cases at 4.43 per clinic, followed by Iwate and Aomori with rates of 2.10 and 2.08 respectively. In Tokyo, seven outbreaks were reported at schools and welfare facilities, with a rate of 1.49 cases per institution.
Experts advise regular hand washing, ventilation, and practicing cough etiquette to prevent the spread of infection. The ministry recommends flu shots for high-risk individuals, including those over 65 and those with underlying health conditions.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
