The number of people infected with the H1N1 influenza last week in Japan is estimated at 150,000, showing that the virus is spreading rapidly.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases is updated on flu cases each week by 4,800 medical institutions nationwide. The number of cases reported in the week until Sunday was 11,636, up 3,900 from the previous week. Based on the figure, the institute estimated the number of new H1N1 flu patients last week at 150,000, exceeding the estimate for the previous week of about 110,000. The institute also said the average number of H1N1 flu patients per medical institution was 2.47, up 1.69 from a week earlier.
Okinawa Prefecture reported the highest average, 46.31, followed by Saitama with 2.94 and Kanagawa with 2.85. The institute declares an epidemic if the average exceeds 1.0. Chief National Institute Researcher Yoshinori Yasui says the H1N1 strain will become even more prevalent once schools reopen after the summer holidays.
2009/08/28 16:45(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
