Number of flu patients hits record high in Japan

February 1, 2019

Tokyo--The number of influenza patients per medical institution in Japan in the week through Sunday hit a record high since the statistics began in April 1999, the health ministry said Friday.

The average number of flu patients at some 5,000 regularly monitored medical institutions grew by 3.18 from the earlier week to 57.09, topping the previous record of 54.33 marked last year.

The total number of flu patients was estimated at some 2,226,000, up by some 96,000 from the previous week.

All of the country's 47 prefectures saw the number of patients per institution top the alarm level of 30.

Saitama saw the largest number, at 84.09, followed by Niigata, at 77.70, Chiba, at 73.00, Miyagi, at 69.81, and Kanagawa, at 67.94.

The number of preschools, kindergartens, elementary, junior high and high schools that partially or entirely shut due to the spread of flu came to 8,928, up by 2,585.

The number of hospitalized flu patients fell by 158 to 3,205. Patients aged 80 or over accounted for the biggest share, at 1,224.

Of flu viruses detected in patients in the past five weeks, type A, which became pandemic as a new type in 2009, accounted for 50 pct, followed by the type-A Hong Kong strain, at 49 pct, and type B, at one pct. Jiji Press