TOKYO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Japan has officially entered the influenza season, the health ministry said Friday, marking the second-earliest start since record-keeping began in 1999.
In the week through Aug. 23, as many as 4,094 flu patients were reported by some 3,000 monitoring institutions nationwide. The average number per institution came to 1.11, topping the benchmark of 1 that indicates the onset of the flu season, according to the ministry.
By region, the southern prefecture of Okinawa logged the highest number of cases in the reporting week, at an average rate of 4.43 per institution, followed by Iwate and Aomori in the northeast with 2.10 and 2.08, respectively.
Except for 2023, when the number of flu cases was high all year round, 2009 saw the earliest start of the season, with cases exceeding the threshold in the week of Aug. 10-16.
The ministry called for people to take precautions against flu, such as washing hands, wearing masks and getting vaccinated. ■
