Japan's new flu cases hit record high in late December

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.

Huh? Halt supply? What the hell is the point?

Schools have just restarted so expect the numbers to go up.

Mr Kipling Today  08:07 am JST

Schools have just restarted so expect the numbers to go up.

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.

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.

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.

It's the flu. It's been around since forever, and 99.999999% of people end up recovering from it just fine.

Wow, so nothing to worry about.

In which respected medical journal can I find this amazing, incredible statistic?

We never would have seen alarmist headlines & stories like this five years ago.

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!

It's the flu. It's been around since forever, and 99.999999% of people end up recovering from it just fine.

Check your numbers

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1133568/japan-number-deaths-influenza/

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.

Still see the sararimen waltzing around in just their whistle and flutes looking tuff though…

I'm back to wearing that annoying mask again. Good thing I have lots left over from the covid days.

Japan's new flu cases hit record high in late December

Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it is now January.

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.

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?

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?’

And ... so what?

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?

Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure it is now January.

Collating the numbers takes some time and you may have missed it but there was a holiday at New year.

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.

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.

kurisupisu

Still see the sararimen waltzing around in just their whistle and flutes looking tuff though…

Is that non-US English slang for "suit and tie", or something similar? I've never heard it before.

Yubaru..

Check your numbers

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1133568/japan-number-deaths-influenza/

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.

Record high mask wearing and record high flu, who woulda thunk.

In which respected medical journal can I find this amazing, incredible statistic?

> Check your numbers

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?

Record high mask wearing and record high flu, who woulda thunk.

Easy question, I know the answer! Only an idiot would have thunk it!!

And of course the situation is different. Record high flu, but mask wearing is faaaaaar from record high!

@garypen

kurisupisu

*Still see the sararimen waltzing around in just their whistle and flutes looking tuff though…*

Is that non-US English slang for "suit and tie", or something similar? I've never heard it before.

I second your question, Whistle and flutes..? Or is that walking and smoking…?

Why is this headline news? It's the flu, which has never been a problem, only since the scaremongering days of the plandemic.

@

@garypen

kurisupisu

Still see the sararimen waltzing around in just their **whistle and flutes **looking tuff though…

Is that non-US English slang for "suit and tie", or something similar? I've never heard it before.

I second your question, Whistle and flutes..? Or is that walking and smoking…?

« Whistle and flutes » is cockney (East London) slang for suit.

Went to the supermarket after the year changed and it was a coughing fest. Luckily most of them were masked up.

@rakuraku

haha thanks for the clarification, though I’m a bit offended as a flutist…

This country easily forgot even first few years from 2020 when infection-measures against Covid19 drastically decreased flu cases, Besides, basis-less optimistic atmosphere as if risk of infection disease was vanished or unscientific skepticism to preventing infection are rampant at Japanese society since especially May 2023, people who dislike even wearing mask increased ever, such society inevitably increase cases and deaths.

Moreover, LDP regime who has no interest to health of citizen still abandons even shortage of medicines at medical fields.

Do not knock the mask, ethnic asians wear them to protect other peoples, your choice, depending on which flute you prefer to use for throat protection.

I don’t wear one of those darn masks and I don’t get flu, lol

The person wearing the mask is a doctor or nurse. Most people wear a mask in hospitals. Good idea.

Huh? Halt supply? What the hell is the point?

Hmm.

Production struggles, as reported in the 5th paragraph.

Have you not perhaps reverted to a reflexive 'criticize Japan first position' in lieu of informing yourself?