In Japan, flu cases soar past 6,000 as authorities declare epidemic

Japan has declared a nationwide influenza epidemic after infections surged five weeks earlier than usual, with more than 6,000 people hospitalised and over 100 schools shut

Japan’s health authorities have declared a nationwide influenza epidemic after surveillance showed an abrupt and unusually early surge in cases that began in late September.

 

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) reported 6,013 influenza cases from about 3,000 designated medical institutions as of October 10, an average of two patients per institution, exceeding the official epidemic threshold of 1.00.

 

Several prefectures reported much higher local intensity, with Okinawa showing the highest per-institution count (12.18), while Tokyo was also among the worst-hit regions.

 

According to a South China Morning Post report, schools and childcare centres have been especially affected. Media and public-health summaries indicate around 135 schools, kindergartens, and childcare facilities were closed across multiple prefectures in the past two weeks, about three times more than at the same time last year. Closures have been concentrated in Tokyo, Okinawa, and Kagoshima. One Yamagata primary school shut after 22 of its 36 pupils showed flu-like symptoms.

 

Why this is worrying

Public-health specialists are concerned for three reasons:

• The season started five weeks earlier than typical, marking the second-earliest nationwide epidemic in 20 years.
• The rise is sharp enough to strain hospital outpatient and paediatric services.
• Some experts see signs that circulating influenza strains may be mutating to spread faster.

Experts are urging people to reinforce vaccination, stay home when sick, wear masks in high-risk settings, and maintain good hand hygiene.

 

Hospitals are already reporting crowded outpatient departments and rising demand for beds and antivirals in paediatric and geriatric wards. Health officials are encouraging vaccination, particularly for the elderly, young children, pregnant individuals, and those with chronic illnesses, and early consultation rather than delaying care. 

Advice for travellers and visitors

According to the MHLW, tourists should maintain strict hygiene practices such as masking in crowded indoor spaces and frequent handwashing, and ensure travel health insurance covers medical care in Japan.

 

Get vaccinated: The influenza vaccine reduces the risk of severe disease and hospitalisation, especially for older adults and those with chronic conditions. The MHLW has explicitly re-emphasised vaccination in its press notices.

 

Stay indoors if unwell: To limit spread, symptomatic people should seek medical advice by phone or through early outpatient consultation rather than crowding emergency rooms.

 

Hygiene and masks: Handwashing, cough etiquette, and mask use around vulnerable people or in crowded indoor spaces remain effective preventive measures.

Other countries in Asia facing similar trends

The early surge in Japan is part of a broader increase in influenza activity across parts of Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, and India, prompting scientists to flag the possibility of earlier or more sustained seasonal windows for flu circulation.

 

Global monitoring systems, including WHO regional summaries, are tracking strain evolution and may advise adjustments to future vaccine formulations if necessary.