Jan. 9 (UPI) — Influenza is affecting hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and rising rapidly among that nation’s population of 124.5 million and overwhelming many healthcare providers and drugmakers.
The country’s reported flu cases rose by more than 50% to 317,812 during the week of Dec. 23-29, which Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases says is three times the amount from a year ago.
It also was the 10th straight week that Japan recorded a rising number of reported flu cases.
The average number of flu cases per hospital in Japan at the end of December is the most since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2019.
The number of flu cases also is the most reported during any week since Japan began tracking nationwide flu cases in1999.
Among 5,000 healthcare clinics surveyed throughout Japan, the nation has an average of 64.39 flu patients at each facility, according to the Ministry of Health.
Like the total number of flu patients from a year ago, the average number of cases per facility is nearly three times higher than the average of 21.65 a year earlier.
Of Japan’s 47 prefectures, 43 have hospitals and clinics exceeding the warning level of 30 flu cases per institution.
The sudden rise in flu cases has caused a run on influenza medication and caused Osaka-based drug manufacturer Sawai Pharmaceutical Company to temporarily halt is shipments of generic flu drugs in syrup and capsule forms.
Officials for the pharmaceutical company said it continues producing the flu drugs and will resume shipments of syrup by the end of January and capsules in early February.
Sawai Pharmaceutical produces about 25% of Japan’s supply of generic anti-flu medications for use by healthcare services providers.
Chugai Pharmaceutical Company, likewise, temporarily halted shipments of its Tamiflu drug, with shipments likely to resume in late February.
The production shortage caused Japan’s Health Ministry to ask pharmacies, hospitals and clinics to only order the number of drugs needed or consider using drugs made by other pharmaceutical firms to combat the flu pandemic.
As in other locations, flu cases typically rise in Japan during the winter months as more people stay indoors in areas with less ventilation than during the summer months.
