The new A/H1N1 strain of influenza, which has killed three Japanese in the past week, has reached the epidemic stage in the country, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announced Friday, with 110,000 Japanese estimated to have been infected.
The number of influenza patients reported by about 5,000 designated medical institutions across the country during the week of Aug. 10 to last Sunday stood at 7,750, or 1.69 per facility, topping the 1.00 benchmark that is deemed the beginning of an epidemic, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said in a preliminary report released the same day.
Based on reports from the designated facilities, the institute estimated 110,000 people have been infected with the new flu.
Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe had issued a de facto "epidemic declaration" on Wednesday as the figure for the previous week of Aug. 3-9 was 0.99. About 60,000 people were estimated to have been infected during that week.
The number of patients, however, has increased by 70 percent since then.
Although the figures include seasonal influenza patients, the ministry believes most of them have been infected with the new H1N1 strain, Masuzoe said.
The per-facility number of flu patients topped 1 in 26 prefectures during the most recent reported period, a jump from six in the previous week.
Two hundred and thirty people had been hospitalized with the new flu between July 28, when the institute began compiling such figures, and Tuesday. By age group, 146, or 63 percent, were aged 5 to 19. Those younger than five totaled 35, while 21 were aged 20 to 39, 10 were aged 40 to 59, and 18 were 60 or older.
Patients under 20 thus accounted for about 80 percent of hospitalized new-flu patients in that period. Ninety-three hospitalized patients, or about 40 percent, had chronic and other illnesses.
People suffering from chronic diseases, pregnant women, babies and young children are thought to be at high risk of developing serious health problems, such as pneumonia and other diseases, after becoming infected with the new influenza virus. The ministry plans to hold briefings for groups of patients and parents of young children next month to provide information to people most susceptible to serious illness.
The ministry also intends to survey medical institutions on such matters as the number of artificial respirators and intensive care units available for critically ill patients.
Outbreaks of influenza rarely occur in summer because flu activity normally wanes due to the hotter weather and higher humidity. However, the new strain of influenza appears to be raging out of control even in summer because most people do not have immunity to the virus yet.
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