Severe flu cases in Japan soar, damage could reach trillions of yen

The flu outbreak in Japan with more than 9.5 million cases, many hospitals are overloaded while treatment drugs are scarce, putting the health system under serious pressure.

People wear masks when going out to prevent infection as the number of flu cases in Japan increases sharply - Photo: CCTV News

On February 3, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported that since late December 2024, when the number of flu cases in Japan peaked, some hospitals and pharmacies have been facing a shortage of treatment drugs.

The cause comes from the fact that some medical facilities stockpile drugs excessively, causing uneven distribution of supplies and leading to local shortages.

Many hospitals are overloaded with flu.

According to data released by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) of Japan on January 31, from September 2, 2024 to January 26, 2025, Japan recorded about 9.523 million cases of influenza.

Data showed that during the week of December 23-29, 2024, about 5,000 medical institutions in Japan reported a total of 318,000 cases, more than three times the same period last year. This is the first time the number of weekly flu cases has exceeded 300,000, breaking a record since Japan adopted the current statistical method in 1999.

In addition, the average number of cases at each medical facility also reached 64 cases/week, more than double the warning level set by the Japanese Government (30 cases/week).

President of the Japan Association for Infectious Diseases (JAID) and Deputy Director of Kurashiki Central Hospital Nao Ishida warned people to continue taking preventive measures. Mr. Ishida also emphasized that the risk of influenza A is gradually decreasing but could be replaced by influenza B, so the epidemic situation still needs to be closely monitored.

Kagoshima University Hospital said that during the 2024 flu season, the number of patients hospitalized with pneumonia or flu complications was only 25. However, during the 2025 flu season, by the end of January alone, that number had nearly tripled to 72.

NHK reported that the 2025 flu epidemic is putting great pressure on hospitals, especially in Tokyo and some major cities in Japan.

Due to the increasing number of patients, many hospitals are overloaded and lacking beds.

According to a February 4 report by CCTV News, many hospitals in Japan were forced to refuse to accept patients due to overload. In Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, there was a case of an emergency patient having to wait up to 7 hours but still could not find a hospital to accept him.

Drug shortage could cause damage of up to 6,300 billion yen

Japanese experts estimate that if the cost of flu treatment and the negative impact on the economy due to sick leave are included, the 2025 flu season could cause losses of up to 6.3 trillion yen.

In early January 2025, Sawai Pharmaceutical, a generic drug maker based in Osaka, halted the supply of flu capsules and syrups to medical facilities. The company said that since mid-December 2024, the demand for the respective drugs has increased so much that they have been unable to keep up.

According to data from Japanese health authorities in November 2024, this drug accounts for about 25% of the total supply of flu drugs at medical facilities.

Faced with the shortage, Japanese authorities have asked clinics, hospitals and pharmacies to only order according to actual needs and to consider using drugs from other pharmaceutical companies to avoid shortages.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ca-nhiem-cum-nang-tai-nhat-ban-tang-vot-thiet-hai-co-the-toi-hang-ngan-ti-yen-20250204204001975.htm