Flu patients increase to record high for 3rd week

February 9, 2018

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

The average number of flu patients at some 5,000 medical institutions across the country that are regularly monitored came to 54.33 in the week through Sunday, the highest level since the statistics started in 1999.

The total number of flu patients during the week is estimated at 2.82 million. The cumulative number in the current flu season, which began last September, reached nearly 14 million.

In the latest week, the average number of patients topped a key level of 30 in all of the country's 47 prefectures, above which flu warnings are issued.

The average increased from a week before in 31 prefectures, while 16 prefectures logged a decrease.

The number of schools partially or entirely shut due to the spread of flu topped 10,000 for the second consecutive week. Jiji Press