Flu patients in surveyed hospitals hit another high

February 2, 2018

Tokyo- The number of influenza patients in Japan hit a record high for the second straight week, the health ministry said Friday.

The average number of patients at some 5,000 medical institutions across Japan that are regularly surveyed reached a record level of 52.35 in the week to Sunday, with the total number of patients in the week estimated at 2.74 million, down 90,000 from the previous week.

The number of child patients grew, while that adult patients declined.

The number of schools with a class or classes temporarily closed due to the spread of influenza topped 10,000, up from some 7,500 in the preceding week. Elementary schools accounted for 70 pct of the latest total.

The aggregate number of patients from the start of the current influenza season in September last year is estimated to have exceeded 11 million, the ministry said.

On the reason for the large number of patients, a ministry official said the type-A virus and the type-B virus were prevalent simultaneously, as the type B virus spread earlier than normal years, when it emerges from February to March. Jiji Press