Japan: Japan is reporting a record number of flu cases, at an average 64.39 patients per clinic in the last week of December. This number is the highest since records were started in 1999 according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The country as a whole saw 317,812 cases, and every one of the 47 prefectures saw more patients than during the previous week. The flu has been spreading fast with the increased movement of people during the holiday season. More people were traveling and seeing their family and friends, and with all that movement, many people risked getting infected. At one point, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that 43 prefectures have reached the warning level, with an average of 30 cases or more per clinic. The prefecture of Oita had the most cases with an average of 104.84 cases per clinic. Other prefectures in Kyushu like Kagoshima and Saga had cases that averaged to be quite high. Even Tokyo and Osaka, major cities were not spared in the outbreak; Tokyo had an average of 56.52 cases per clinic and Osaka had 67.53 cases per clinic. The increase in flu cases has brought a tremendous blow to the education sector. Already, over 1,800 schools, daycare centers, and kindergartens have either closed down or stopped holding classes. This has affected the students immensely since they are busy preparing for entrance exams. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike asked people to take caution and consider infecting others when engaging in large-scale events.
