The number of influenza patients reported in Tokyo in the week ending Dec 22 has doubled from the previous week, exceeding the warning level, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Friday.
The government is calling on people to take infection prevention measures during the New Year holidays.
According to the Tokyo government, the number of influenza patients reported in Tokyo in the week ending on the 22nd was 40.02 per medical institution, exceeding the warning level of 30.
The increase is about 131% from the previous week.
This is the first time since early February 2019 that the warning level has been exceeded in Tokyo.
Looking at the number of patients by age, the majority are 14 years old or younger, and a total of 767 class closures have been reported in elementary and junior high schools.
© Japan Today
40 Comments
ADK99
It's a particularly bad flu this year - I had it and it hung around for at least 10 days. Stay safe everyone.
Tokyo Guy
I'd like to get the input of virusrex on this one, as he (sorry, presumptuous to assume gender) seems to be on the ball with medical related stuff. Is there any connection between catching influenza and heating the inside of buildings (shops, homes etc.) to psychotic levels? Something I've long noticed living here - they sure like to pump up the heating to almost painful levels. Sometimes I visit a particular camera store in Tokyo, and come the winter I can usually make it about 5 minutes before I have to leave, as the heating is turned up to infinity plus one.
The_Beagle
It's cold & flu season. Every winter like clockwork. Thing is, if you didn't read or watch the news, you'd never know it.
SDCA
I stopped wearing my coat because I’m only outside for a short time going to and from work. I don’t like having to take it on and off in trains and buildings, constantly lugging it around. Too hot in buildings/ etc.
As for influenza, it's likely easily transmittable during this season because people spend more time indoors and in closer proximity. Had it last year and don't want it again so I'm taking extra precautions this year. It seems some people want to come to work despite looking very sick and coughing all over the place without consideration on trains and workplaces. It sucks that this is unavoidable, but will have to stay cautious. Stay safe everyone and happy holidays!
Zaphod
I have not had any influenza since I got smart about avoiding sugar, supplementing with vitamin D, and maximising time spent in fresh air. Several years now influenza-free, with the exception of catching Covid (with mild symptoms). Before that, in my arrogant junk food days ("hey, I do sports, so I can eat whatever I want") I caught influenza regularly. The change was dramatic. Anecdotal evidence of course, I assume the world-wide experts and respected institutions disagree. Still, my 2 yen worth.
Tokyo Guy
I have not had any influenza since I got smart about avoiding sugar, supplementing with vitamin D, and maximising time spent in fresh air. Several years now influenza-free, with the exception of catching Covid (with mild symptoms). Before that, in my arrogant junk food days ("hey, I do sports, so I can eat whatever I want") I caught influenza regularly. The change was dramatic. Anecdotal evidence of course, I assume the world-wide experts and respected institutions disagree. Still, my 2 yen worth.
I've never had it, as far as I recall. I had Covid once, and like you it was fairly mild. But influenza? To the best of my knowledge, I don't recall ever having it. Why that is, is another issue. I spend most weekends out and about for several hours a day, and I don't eat much in the way of junk food. I've also never gotten an influenza shot (I did for Covid, and that's probably why mine was mild). Given that the most popular hobby in Japan seems to be "going to the clinic / hospital at every conceivable opportunity", and assuming that many locals do get an influenza shot, then we have to assume that there's some other reason behind this spike in cases.
virusrex
If you choose to be ignorant to what is happening that is the obvious consequence, most people consider more useful to be informed so they can make better decisions. For example listening to the experts when they recommend vaccination and proper hygiene.
Not really, transmission is higher at lower temperatures, but it also higher when the air is dry, so if the air conditioning is taking humidity out of the air that could affect.
As mentioned a likely reason is that people are congregating a lot more than in previous years, and ignoring basic measures of hygiene and isolation. Mask use is much lower now, and as demonstrated with the first years of the pandemic this measure is enough to almost completely eradicate the infection. This is a demonstrably effective measure, the contrary to what is widely recommended like supplements and diets that for most people make no difference.
Zaphod
virus
To the contrary: eating healthy and getting fresh air and sunshine makes a gigantic difference for everyone, regardless of what your nebulous world-wide expert say. Everything you put in your body and do with your body has an effect.... not only chemicals produce by pharma factories.
"Let food be thy medicine" (Hippocrates)
Wick's pencil
Yes, excessive heating results in dry air, which dries up your nose and sinuses. This greatly interferes with your body's natural defenses. I bought a humidifier for my office at the start of the covid pandemic.
CigarLUV88
So we are finally calling it the flu again? Lol
TaiwanIsNotChina
There is an inverse relationship:
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/scientists-finally-figure-out-why-youre-more-likely-to-get-sick-in-cold-weather
Zaphod
TaiwanIsNot
Is cold weather not precisely the time when the inside of some buildings gets heated to psychotic levels?
TaiwanIsNotChina
Yes, but heat nullifies the effect of the cold weather. I think japanese homes need more central heating and not less.
virusrex
How is this ”the contrary" to "diets and supplements"? making unrelated comments preceded by this makes no sense. If anything you are saying it is correct since "supplements" are also chemicals produced by a trillion dollar industry that mostly profits from people's ignorance, that includes vitamins.
"We" never stopped, if you are confused by different respiratory infections that does not mean everybody is.
Again heat by itself do not increase the transmission, it is the dryness. A sauna for example would be an environment very hot but also very humid so transmission of infectious diseases like influenza would be very low.
Wick's pencil
Your reference explains that lower nasal temperatures cause the immune response to drop. But it also mentions:
But there is no mention of how dry air would impact the mucus. I still think it's the dryness, much more than the cold temperatures, that increases your chances of getting sick.
Raw Beer
Same here, I haven't been sick for years ever since I've made sure to get regular sun exposure and supplementing with vitD. The only exception was a very mild covid a couple of years ago (no shots).
Exactly. Indoor heating is very drying, for skin and airways. Better to do it in moderation and actively adding humidity.
Zaphod
Raw Beer
Central heating is a terrible idea in poorly insulated wooden Japanese houses. In modern concrete buildings OK, but in that case one should make sure to use a humidifier too. Actually, I quite like the traditional Japanese concept of just heating where you are, i.e. kotatsu. It is realy cosy.
Jimizo
I think I should stop taking advice from my doctor and watch bro podcasts instead.
grc
I take it flu jabs are not free in Japan?
tora
Only had the flu once (and got it really really bad) and that was literally right after I took the flu jab many years ago when was offered for free at work. Once of the worst mistakes ever for me. The worst one was when I got pressured and conned into taking two COVID jabs (the second one almost killed me) by fellow gaijin.
Never had COVID or the flu since getting jabs. But that's just my story. We are all different and some people thrive on jabs of all kinds.
virusrex
Depending on the season it can be for people of advanced age, but it depends on how much the government listen to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's recommendations.
The important part is that it can be proved that as a general rule people do better when vaccinated than when not, not only survival but also serious problems like hospitalization or long term health problems. This is why doctors keep recommending it.
Zaphod
Jimizo
That would depend on your doctor, would not. Btw, what is a "bro podcast"? Anything you disagree with or something specific?
Zaphod
virusrex
You mean doctors like Masanori Fukushima?
https://rumble.com/v28f4le-japanese-professor-fukushima-warns-the-health-ministry.html?e9s=rel_v1_b
Where does this naive concept come from that there is never any disagreement in the scientific community?
falseflagsteve
Never had a flu or Covid jab and just like Tony he Tiger I feel grrrreat! ROFL, what am I like eh?
Fossil
Good for you Steve .!.
SwissToni
Theres tons of disagreement in the scientific community, this is why there is peer review. Results are tested until they become concensus. As there’s no new consensus on the value of masks and vaccination there’s no reason to doubt their efficacy. Anybody can can challenge that, but they must provide evidence. Suspicion isn’t enough.
John-San
It is not a vaccine if it is, "only as a general rule do better". That is a preventative not a vaccine. A vaccine annuls the virus. Covid has not yet had a vaccine to annuls the virus. It is what the media as term the preventative. The annual flu has a vaccine which is issue each season. It not a preventative. Where the covid jab is a preventative because people who have the preventative covid medication still can get infected by the virus.
Andy
Quick, line up for a jab and put your face covers on. Or you can eat healthy, exercise regularly and drink lots of good water.
kurisupisu
.
As they won’t be commuting on crowded Tokyo trains then they’ll be fine.
The return to work will increase cases though…
Zaphod
Swiss
There is no old consensus, hence there is no new consensus.
virusrex
No, I mean doctors that actually know that their personal experience is no where near as reliable as scientific data from millions of patients, and that can recognize being proved wrong and will stop promoting mistakes, which is not what your reference is known for doing.
Because there is nothing naive about it, you can find unprofessional, badly prepared doctors that refuse to accept the consensus about many other things, some even still believe there are no microbes, that would never prove the consensus is not there (much less that it is wrong) it just proves that as in every profession there will always be people that are completely unqualified to do that job.
Fortunately this is just you trying to pass a personal misunderstanding as if it were a fact. In fact vaccines have many kinds of effects and results, and in no way their definition depends on "annulling the virus". Most vaccines still allows infection to take hold (this includes the influenza vaccine), but make the patients do better compared with non vaccination. There is no such thing as a "preventative" as you try to misrepresent.
Or be rational and understand you can do all of this and even more without any problem, because only people with irrational antiscientific bias think you can only do one or the other.
The infections already are terribly common, and since people can transmit the disease days before showing symptoms that means they are likely to spread it to whoever place they go outside of Tokyo. Which is part of what justifies the preventive measures that the government recommends.
virusrex
Yes there is, even if you personally don't want to accept it. The consensus changes all the time with evidence and scientific discussion, improves, gets more detailed. What does not change the consensus is baseless or debunked claims even when they come from people that should know better like deeply unprepared doctors.
Hawk
To a point. In elite sports, there's a thing called an 'open window.' It means that top athletes, peaking for competition and therefore under strict diet, training, sleeping, recovery protocols, are more susceptible to diseases and infections as physical and physiological pressure suppresses immunity.
Anyway, I do all those things you say and I occasionally get sick. Sometimes, you just come across a pathogen that's gonna beat your immune system.
And if you remove the internet/reality filter from a lot of posts, you'll find that's true for everyone.
lordoflys
My son's family brought it down from Hokkaido with them. They've slowly recovered but my wife caught it with a vengeance. Bad sore throat and fever the first night, the next day not so bad. We've both had flu shots. I haven't really been affected much much to my relief. Person to person is still the transmitting thing. If it can't be prevented prepare yourself.
CigarLUV88
“We" never stopped, if you are confused by different respiratory infections that does not mean everybody is.”
No confusion here, and you’re right it never went away it was just renamed COVID.
CDC data proves that. Look at the data from 2019-2024
the flu practically disappeared.
Zaphod
virusrex
No there is not. Maybe you are confusing statements of your "respected institutions", which by their very nature are political, and in line with a desired narrative, with the opinions of individual scientists.
virusrex
Both are very different pathogens, that are detected specifically with tests and that produce a very different disease.
No such thing, no part of that data proves the false claim you make, what it proves is that isolation measures including use of masks are much more effective for influenza than for covid.
Thus proving the huge beneficial value of isolation and masks, insufficient to completely stop covid, but more than enough to stop influenza. This is why relaxation of those measures means influenza becomes again an important risk.
virusrex
The scientists and doctors of the world say (and prove) the consensus, a nameless person on the internet say there is no consensus without being able to prove it with any argument or evidence.
It should be clear to anybody which side is right and which is wrong.
When you belief depends on every single institution of medical science in the world, in every country to be part of an impossible conspiracy to make sense you are accepting you have no argument and have to use the same excuse of every antiscientific belief. "The world is flat, it is just that every scientific institution is aligned with the desired narrative" "The world is 6000 years old, but all scientific institutions are controlled politically to lie about it". At the end it is the same, just an excuse for not being able to provide any evidence for the mistaken claim.
Zaphod
virusrex
No surprise. Well, my guess is that Professor Fukushima has a heck of a lot more academic authority to talk about viruses and vaccines than you do. As do McCullough, Robert Malone, Jay Bhattacharya, Suchirad Bakdhi, Prof. Masanori Fukushima, Dr. Drew, Dr. Harvey Risch, Prof. Tim Spector, Michael Yeadon (ex Pfizer CEO no less...).... I could go on.
What was that about "consensus"?
virusrex
Which is completely irrelevant because I base absolutely none of my comments on my own authority (as you do) but on the scientific consensus of the world, and the evidence the professionals use to reach that consensus. Evidence that Fukushima doesn't even address, much less discuss, making his claims irrelevant as well, he is demonstrating being deeply unprofessional by making a mistake that would not be forgiven even to a medical school students.
The rest of your references are even worse, I mean McCullogh? he is infamous for being the cardiologists with the most retractions ever. When you are forced to use people that have been found to lie repeatedly, that were disproved and choose to repeat the disproved claims instead of defending them and to even accept they justify using false information as long as that convince people, then you are also accepting you have no actual valid authorities to support what you want to believe, just again the excuse of the impossible global conspiracy, same as flat earthers, creationists, homeopaths, etc.
And the facts refute completely the false claim you made, you have no facts on your side, you can make no argument, that means you are implicitly recognizing you are mistaken. Which still don't stop you from making personal attacks when this is made obvious.