Japan enters an unusually early flu season

Japan has officially entered the flu season — marking the second-earliest start since record-keeping began in 1999, the health ministry said Friday.

The number of influenza patients hit 4,094 — or 1.11 patients per hospital — in the week through Sunday, according to a tally of cases from 3,000 monitoring institutions nationwide.

The health ministry considers 1 patient per clinic as the threshold for declaring the start of the season.

The season’s start is about a month earlier than last year, when the number of cases reached the threshold in the week through Sept. 28.

By prefecture, Okinawa logged the highest number of cases, at an average rate of 4.43 per clinic, followed by Iwate’s 2.10 and Aomori’s 2.08.

In Tokyo, which logged 1.49 cases per institution, seven outbreaks were reported at schools and welfare facilities in the week through Sunday.

“With the end of the summer vacation, the new school term will start at many schools, increasing opportunities for children and students in particular to come into contact with others,” the Tokyo Metropolitan Government warned.

Experts are urging people to regularly wash their hands, ventilate and practice “cough etiquette,” such as covering one’s mouth with a mask or handkerchief to prevent the spread of infection.

The ministry recommends flu shots for high-risk people, including those over the age of 65 and people with underlying conditions.