Kathmandu. Japan has declared a nationwide pandemic due to a sharp rise in influenza cases. Medical experts have warned that the virus is evolving and spreading more easily than ever before.
Hospital wards have been overwhelmed and educational institutions across the country have been closed due to the outbreak. Flu outbreaks occur almost every year in Japan. But this time, it arrived five weeks earlier than expected.
Rapid and rapid spread indicates that the influenza virus is rapidly adapting to conditions. However, this trend is not limited to Japan. Researchers around the world have observed similar patterns. As a result, there is a call for increased vigilance among both Japanese residents and visitors.
Yoko Tsukamoto, a professor at Hokkaido University of Health Sciences, said this year’s flu season could be a common occurrence in a changing global environment. Research indicates that the virus is not only spreading more efficiently but is also developing resistance to conventional treatments.
Tsukamoto said the changes could help explain why Japan is experiencing its first flu outbreak for the second time in two decades. “We’re seeing this resistance in Japan, but it’s also been reported in other parts of the world,” he said.
Health officials and scientists have pointed to several factors behind this increase. This includes the return of mass tourism to the post-pandemic era, which has accelerated the movement of people and cross-border viruses. “We’re seeing more movement of people in Japan and around the world, people carrying the virus to new places, which is another factor in the ability of the virus to adapt to new environments,” Tsukamoto said.
As of Oct. 3, Japan’s health ministry declared a pandemic after 4,030 people were treated for influenza at designated medical facilities across the country in the week beginning Sept. 22. That’s an increase of 957 cases compared to the previous week. “The number of cases has crossed the epidemic threshold, with an average of 1.04 patients per institution,” the ministry said. The outbreak of infection among children has closed 135 schools, kindergartens and childcare centers, three times more than the same week last year. ’
