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1 dead, 2 critical following flu outbreak in Saitama hospital

20 Comments

One person has died and two are in a critical condition after 39 people were infected by a flu outbreak in a Saitama hospital, officials said Thursday.

According to an Ageo Central General Hospital spokesperson, both patients and staff have been affected by the nosocomial infection. In total, 20 patients and 19 staff members are believed to have contracted the virus, TV Asahi reported. Thirty-one of those stricken have tested positive for influenza type A viruses.

The deceased is believed to have been a woman in her 80s. The hospital says the woman contracted the virus on the afternoon of Jan 20, following which her fever rose to 38 degrees. Doctors say the woman passed away within hours of showing the first signs of the virus. A man in his 80s and another in his 50s are still critical, TV Asahi quoted doctors as saying.

The hospital has planned an inspection of its facilities and is urging local residents to take precautions against the virus.

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The hospital has planned an inspection of its facilities and is urging local residents to take precautions against the virus.

take precautions and do not visit our hospital...should be appropriate to say since number of patients (affected by virus) = number of staff members.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I never heard of nosocomial (first sleepily read notsocomical) virus.

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fever rose to 38 degrees ??? That's when they put the body in icy bathwater to cool the person down. Amazing ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

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I dont understand whiskeysour. Where does it say they put her into icy bathwater?

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If you're sick, sometimes the worst place to be is in a hospital. And there are other things (like infections) you can die of also.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The hospital has planned an inspection of its facilities and is urging local residents to take precautions against the virus.

How can people take precautions? Oh right, wear a mask, wash your hands with alcohol and wait in line at the hospital ... right?

So what should the people who need a checkup do, rush to the nearest drugstore and ask the pharmacist for over-the-counter medications while waiting for the inspection?

Let me guess ... this is going to be another "souteigai" situation.

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NOOO not in japan T.T get well! don't trust the vaccines!

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Influenza is nasty and sneaks up on you so you might have passed it around without noticing.....I was totally fine, working from 9am to 9pm teaching one Friday, and ate dinner, went to sleep at 11 or 12 feeling a bit tired (well I taught for 8+ hours so I was usually tired on Fridays) ....3 am or so my husband woke me up and said "something's wrong." Took my temperature it was 38 and rising. Luckily we lived a 5 minute walk from the sougou byouin and so I got dressed, masked up and shuffled my way over, got tested and had type A, was given some tamiflu and fever reducer and went back and spent an hour or so keitai mailing my boss, coworkers, students, people I was supposed to teach/work with/coach on Saturday and Sunday explaining what was going on, and then started 3 days of 39 degrees....fever reducer did nothing...kept 1l-2l bottles of water, Pocari and juice by the bed and lived on that during the day because I literally was too dizzy from the fever to walk....hubby made yudoufu and soups for me at night and we ate dinner together (could barely stomach anything besides drinks) and he iced me up because my fever wouldn't go down....was better after those 3 days and fine after a week...went back to the doctor 1 week later and got my OK to work again. Funny thing about the hospital....the system is that they have a break in the afternoon, and then from a certain time they start giving out numbers, so you can wait to see the doctor. So I went right when the break ended and checked in and got my number, all masked up, and the nurse was like "Ok, well we will start seeing patients in a half hour, do you want to wait in the waiting room or go outside?" and I was like "um, you see, I've been sick with type A influenza, and I live right over there, so it would probably be best if I don't sit in here with all of these old people...." but that was just me....I imagine some other people wouldn't think about that side of things...

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It has began! somebody forgot to wash their hands while changing patients

has anyone seen the "Contagion" ?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I have asthma, so I get my flu shots each year.

You can easily cool a body down. Look it up.

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A few years ago, I came down with Flu type A. Came on suddenly. I was taken to hospital with a temp of 40 degrees. I couldn't believe it was the flu. I honestly thought I was dying. I spent over a week in bed and it took me another week to start feeling human. I drank lots of fluids and rested. Obviously, I don't know how or where I picked it up but I think working in close proximity, in an office with hundreds of folk, some coming into work and 'ganbatt' ing on when obviously sick didn't help. Never mind folk coughing and sneezing on the trains without covering their mouths. I don't understand why managers allow obviously sick people to work when they could infect other workers. People have to take responsibility for their own health through a balanced diet, making sure you get enough sleep and good hygiene practices. Just donning this year's trendy surgical mask isn't really going to help if you don't sleep well, eat junkfood constantly and don't bother with hygiene!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

don't bother with hygiene

Can I buy one of those in the local yakkyoku?

Seriously though, whenever I enter an office or public area and see an alcohol dispenser, I always make it a point to spray my hands with it. Thing is, some toilets don't even have a hand dryer or paper towels, so some guys (I don't know about the ladies though) just walk out of the toilet without even bothering to wash.

Can you say "eeeeewwwwww!"?

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Elvensilvan, euuwww that's gross. that is why I always bring tissue paper and wet tissues just in case.

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wash your hands with alcohol

I'd rather drink it... Which may explain why I'm so healthy...

Having said this, I'm afraid I have had far too many bad experiences with hospitals in Japan and would prefer to go back to Europe if ever the need arises...

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pshhhhhh, come on, the reason people are getting all these weird infections and flu's etc. is cas people nowadays try to do everything in their power to make sure everything is germ free.

think back to when you were a kid, playing in the dirt or a pond, often barefoot, getting called in for dinner, MAYBE tossing some water over yer hands and then sitting down to eat a meal.

Germs make ya tough.

spraying yerself with sanitation pump sprays every time you touch a door handle is not helping.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

crustpunker, I have to agree. I used to get sick at least once a year, but I haven't gotten sick at all over the past few. I have to go to many companies and meet clients for my job. Lots of them were sick but still working, because you can only stay home from work if you have a fever in this country. Anyway, I think being exposed to so many sick people has actually made my immune system stronger. Sure, I wash my hands but when you're sitting across the table from a guy who's coughing his lungs out, there's not much you can do in terms of prevention.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@ Crustpunker. Totally agree! Too many sprays, vaccinations for illnesses that should be left in most cases to just run their course ( not talking about Polio etc). Parents obsessed with keeping their kids ultra clean. Medicating up at the slightest sniffle. Basic hygiene is all that is needed plus a healthy diet and lifestyle!

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Have to agree with crustpunker as well. Also, I've been extremely healthy since I started exercising six days a week, weight and cardio for about an hour a day, and eating really, really well. I've never felt better and I'm really hoping it lasts.

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Crustpunker for health minister!

Finally someone talking a little sense. I deliberately make a show of picking the kids dropped potato chips or candy off the ground, blowing on it or sucking it, and giving it right back to them. I enjoy the looks of abject horror around me!

Its interesting isnt it? I hope I am not speaking too soon, but my kids run barefoot, dig in the mud, wash their hands when we remember, and are rarely rarely sick (touch wood). The dirtiest one of all (my middle one) seems to be almost indestructable. Even the other mothers in his class are starting to notice he is never off sick. We did all get the swine flu a couple of years ago but for all the horror stories I was hearing it was very light for us and we were all over it within a few days, including me and I was 28 weeks pregnant. 2 years before that my daughter was one of only 3 in her class of 30 who never came down with flu, and two of those flu-free kids (including my daughter) were the only ones who hadnt been vaccinated!

I like to wash our hands and spray alcohol when we come in from outside, but other than that I think the immune system is like any other body system - keep it ticking over battling minor invaders and it will be in peak condition when it needs to really go into battle. Constantly prop it up with antibiotics and antiseptics and it will lose its power. Seems to work for us.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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