Japan is currently under a bout of influenza with the disease rapidly spreading especially among children, media reports from Tokyo said on Friday.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, an estimated 1.4 million people have caught the flu in the week ended January 20. The average number of patients per hospital was over 22, which was 1.9 times more than that reported a week ago.
Quoting the Health Ministry, Japan's NHK broadcaster reported that more than 2,000 schools and classes across the country were closed or canceled last week due to the epidemic. Elementary schools top the list with 1,124 followed by junior high schools with 593 and kindergartens with 222.
Yoshinori Yasui, a senior researcher at the Institute, says the flu has been spreading fast especially among children. He recommends precautionary measures such as hand washing and wearing masks in public places to check the spread of the disease.
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