The number of influenza patients reported at designated medical institutions across Japan at the end of the year hit the highest level since comparable data became available in 1999, the Japanese government said Friday.
Across roughly 5,000 institutions, 317,812 patients had been reported in the week through Dec 29, averaging 64.39 people per facility and surpassing the warning level of 30, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
It marked the 10th consecutive week of increase and a 1.51-fold rise from the week prior, and there were shortages of some of the medications used to treat influenza.
"The fact that people expanded their range of movement as they entered the holidays could be a contributing factor," a ministry official said.
Major drug makers Sawai Pharmaceutical Co and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co announced they will temporarily halt the supply of the flu medicine Tamiflu and its generic version due to production struggles in meeting soaring demand.
Sawai said it plans to resume supplying the generic drug in late January or early February, while Chugai announced it will suspend part of its supplies until late February.
"People have a weakened immune system as there hadn't been an influenza outbreak for a while" due to measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, said Hiroyuki Kunishima, professor at St Marianna University School of Medicine, adding that the surge was putting a strain on hospitals.
"Getting a flu shot even at this stage will be effective" as there is a possibility that different strains from abroad may spread, Kunishima said.
Patients increased in all 47 prefectures, with Oita Prefecture in southwestern Japan recording the most, averaging 104.84 people per facility. The lowest was Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, averaging 24.3 people per facility.
© KYODO
23 Comments
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Yubaru
Huh? Halt supply? What the hell is the point?
Mr Kipling
Schools have just restarted so expect the numbers to go up.
Quo Primum
One of the many negative effects of the largely ineffective "COVID measures" such as lockdowns, masks, social isolation and all the other silliness.
It's not me saying this; it's research from places like Johns Hopkins and Harvard, among others.
The "COVID measures" demonstrably did more harm than good. Much more.
And the weakened immune system that Professor Kunishima mentions is just one example of that.
Quo Primum
And ... so what?
It's the flu. It's been around since forever, and 99.999999% of people end up recovering from it just fine.
We never would have seen alarmist headlines & stories like this five years ago.
Thanks to COVID alarmism, society seems to have entered a new era of hypochondria and medical hysteria.
Quo Primum
I can't believe this is the "top story" today on this site.
It's the flu, for crying out loud.
People have been catching the flu ever since there have been people.
Get over yourselves, folks, and your post-COVID-era penchant for treating every contagious medical malady as if it's the next Black Plague.
リッチ
So the article saying Japan has 33 million doses stock piled was a lie? And how irresponsible to stop projection because you work to hard. People should be fired.
Norm
Wow, so nothing to worry about.
In which respected medical journal can I find this amazing, incredible statistic?
Yubaru
Actually you are wrong. Headlines like this have been a part of JT since JT came into existence. You just werent around yet to see them or never paid attention to them!
Yubaru
Check your numbers
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1133568/japan-number-deaths-influenza/
Harry_Gatto
I have a clinic close to where I live and a few days ago I was out walking the dog around 4:30pm and there were more cars parked around the clinic than I have ever seen in 9 years living here. The doc is a friend so last night we were out for dinner and I asked him why. More patients that day than he has ever had and he had to stay open to 9pm to clear the queue. 80% flu and 20% covid apparently.
kurisupisu
Still see the sararimen waltzing around in just their whistle and flutes looking tuff though…
OssanAmerica
I'm back to wearing that annoying mask again. Good thing I have lots left over from the covid days.
TokyoResiding
Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it is now January.
Speed
I don't get it. If there's a shortage then why are they halting production? Shouldn't they be trying to ramp up production?
grc
Quo Primum makes good points. And I’m sure we all remember Covid comments here like, ‘huh, flu has a lot more cases so why are we worried?’
Mr Kipling
The last time there were this many cases in a single week was 1999. If you count pneumonia brought on by influenza, there were about 14,000 deaths. As many have pointed out almost all old and or sick people.
Apart from dying, having the flu isn't much fun and could spoil your social plans so maybe a good idea to wash your hands, not cough over people, crack a window once in a while and dare I say it.... wear a mask on the train?
Mr Kipling
Collating the numbers takes some time and you may have missed it but there was a holiday at New year.
The_Beagle
My kids' schools were freaking out about it through the autumn and into winter. Even had some gakkyu heikan times. I guess it's double jeopardy now.
falseflagsteve
Well, I guess I’m a lucky fellow in the fact that I haven’t had a bout of flu since 2010.
Flu is always about except during the height of Covid when it almost vanished for some reason.
garypen
kurisupisu
Is that non-US English slang for "suit and tie", or something similar? I've never heard it before.
Mr Kipling
Yubaru..
Those numbers actually massively under report. These are the number of deaths in which the doctor has recorded influenza as the cause. There is misleading as many deaths from influenza infections will be reported as pneumonia or other health problems directly resulting from influenza.
JustAGoodOleBoy
Record high mask wearing and record high flu, who woulda thunk.
daito_hak
According to WHO, there are billion cases of seasonal influenza annually, and it causes 290 000 to 650 000 respiratory deaths annually. That’s an case fatality rate between 0.029% and 0.065%. The total worldwide death rate is between 0.0036% and 0.0081%. So what’s your point here?