Health warning: flu outbreak quickly spreads across Japan
People stand by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Jan. 21. The number of flu patients in the country has topped 2.1 million. AP
By Jung Min-ho
An influenza outbreak is spreading across Japan at an alarming rate.
According to
Saturday, more than 2.1 million people have been infected with the flu.
The average number of patients at 5,000 medical institutions nationwide was 53.91 from Jan. 14-20, up 15 from a week before and the second-highest figure since the health ministry began collecting data in 1999.
Meanwhile, the number of patients increased to 2.13 million, up about 495,000.
The three most severely affected prefectures are Aichi, Saitama and Shizuoka.
The ministry said the H1N1 strain accounted for 60 percent of cases. The strain caused a global outbreak of a new influenza a decade ago.