NHK




 

Influenza is on the rise across Japan, with weekly case counts increasing in all 47 prefectures.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases and other organizations say about 5,000 hospitals and clinics across the country reported seeing 211,049 flu patients in the seven-day period up to December 22.

That's more than double the figure from the previous week.
Based on this sample, the nationwide case count is estimated to be about 1.674 million.

The average patient number per medical institution stood at 42.66, the highest in a decade at this time of year.

Oita Prefecture had the highest number at 82.64, followed by Kagoshima with 65.57 and Saga with 61.62.

Case counts increased in all prefectures, and exceeded the warning level of 30 patients in 36 prefectures.

The head of the influenza panel at the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, Ishida Tadashi, says case numbers will likely peak after the New Year's holidays.

He says patient numbers are growing very quickly this season. And he warns that infections will likely spread as people travel during the holiday period.
He urges people to wash their hands, wear masks and take other steps to avoid infection.