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Panic grips Japan as deadly flu outbreak rages – A warning for travellers
2:27PM Mon February 3, 2025
3rd February 2025 – (Tokyo) A nationwide influenza outbreak of staggering magnitude has brought this island nation to its knees, shattering all recorded case data and leaving a wake of overwhelmed hospitals, scarce medical supplies, and tragically, fatalities. The untimely death of Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu from flu complications at just 48 years old highlights the severity of the virus’s impact.
The numbers out of Japan are nothing short of astonishing. During the final week of December 2024, the country logged over 317,000 new influenza cases – a record-shattering total more than triple the previous year’s tally for the same period. The average of 64 cases per medical institution obliterated the previous high-water mark and saw warning levels breached in a staggering 43 of Japan’s 47 prefectures. Certain regions like Oita reeled under a crushing 104 cases per institution.
“A crisis” is how Dr. Matsuyama Masaharu, Chair of the Okayama Prefectural Medical Association, describes the scenes unfolding at area hospitals struggling to accommodate the deluge of flu patients. Major pharmaceutical companies have shockingly announced temporary halts to shipments of the critical anti-viral drug Oseltamivir, accounting for roughly one-quarter of Japan’s total supply against influenza. As the public health system strains under this viral onslaught, more chilling reports continue emerging.
At least seven children across Tokyo and Shizuoka have died from complications of influenza-induced encephalopathy – a rare but devastating brain inflammation that can fatally disrupt consciousness and provoke seizures. One terrified parent in Shizuoka watched helplessly as their toddler’s condition rapidly deteriorated from initial symptoms to tragic death within 24 hours from the onset of this neurological nightmare.
The distress signals from Japan cannot be ignored. “This explosive rise in influenza cases, coupled with the profoundly tragic death of Barbie Hsu at such a young age, should shatter any lingering illusions about influenza being just a mild inconvenience,” warns respiratory disease specialist Dr. Leung Chi-chiu from Hong Kong. “Ms. Hsu may have suffered from conditions that compromised her immunity, but otherwise healthy adults and children are also falling critically ill and dying across Japan right now. This virus is merciless.”
Following a two-year lull in influenza transmission due to stringent COVID-19 containment measures like masking, Japan’s population found itself with withered resistance to the newly circulating strains. Medical experts theorise that this lack of retained immunity created a vulnerability perfectly catalysing the current crisis. With international travel normalising and mask-wearing advisories relaxed, the fertile conditions enabled influenza’s frightening resurgence.
“The warning signs have been obvious for months, yet there has been a dangerous underestimation of influenza’s risks,” laments Dr. Leung. “We cannot be complacent any longer. Japan is likely the opening salvo in what could be a virulent worldwide rampage by these highly mutable strains.”
For Hong Kongers specifically, the temptations of Japan’s shopping, cuisine and travel bargains must be ignored for now. “Our own city stood at just 18 severe influenza cases among younger adults as of January’s end, but that number can explosively multiply if we let our guard down. We’ve already mourned four influenza-linked deaths in that demographic,” cautions the specialist. Hong Kong remains on high alert, with schools enacting distancing measures as the seasonal flu ramps up locally. But Japan’s uncontrolled outbreak amplifies those risks exponentially.
The sobre reality is that complacency proved fatal for too many worldwide when COVID-19 first emerged as an underestimated blip. This time, the international community must heed the dire bulletins from Japan as an urgent call to action. The painful lessons reminding us that influenza can be every bit as relentless as any pandemic scourge must finally stick.
As countries like France and the U.K. also buckle under rising flu caseloads, now is the time for all nations to stubbornly re-up stagnating immunisation and prevention campaigns. Travel advisories must be heeded regardless of economic inconveniences. Those most vulnerable – the elderly, immunocompromised and very young – demand society’s utmost protections. Rigorous monitoring, transparent data-sharing between nations and perpetual investment in public health preparedness cannot be allowed to waver ever again. We owe it to those lost far too soon to influenza’s cruelties.
Concerns are growing that the world may be unwilling to accept that the next crisis has already begun. The alarming rise in influenza cases in Japan compels us to confront this reality. The fight starts now, with travel restrictions to the affected nation and heightened vigilance globally.
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NHK:Influenza in Japan jumps to highest level! Crisis!
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