swine flu cases surge on Japan, most are teenagers
Confirmed swine flu cases in Japan surged over the weekend to 92 and the government has shut schools and canceled community events in affected cities, health officials said Monday.
At least 92 people have tested positive for the H1N1 virus, according to Health and Welfare Ministry official Haruki Ogawa. Most of them are teenagers, and all were recovering in local hospitals or their homes.
The country had just four confirmed cases as of Friday, all of whom were believed to have caught the flu outside of the country.
The government had sought to catch the virus before it entered the island nation, closely monitoring arriving passengers at international airports. But on Saturday, the Health Ministry confirmed the first case caught domestically, in the port city of Kobe, about 270 miles (430 kilometers) west of Tokyo. The number quickly increased from there.
Hospitals have set up special “fever clinics” to separate possible swine flu carriers from other outpatients. Local governments established hot lines to guide people with flu symptoms. Newspapers also published graphics explaining the proper ways to wash hands and gargle.
The government ordered schools closed in the affected areas.
The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ said most of its staff at a branch in Hyogo Prefecture, southwest Japan, were working from home after an employee tested positive.
“We have not determined how the virus spread in the region, and we are doing our best to track down the route of the infections and contain them,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said.
Japan’s first four cases were spotted at an airport quarantine after three high school students and a teacher returned from a school trip to Canada in early May.
Officials said they did not know whether the first four cases were related to the latest outbreak.
“Many people were infected in such a short period of time,” Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto said at a news conference. “We must be prepared for a further expansion.”
The H1N1 swine flu virus is a new influenza strain. Health officials have warned that it could eventually infect millions of people.
The World Health Organization has confirmed at least 8,480 human cases of swine flu in nearly 40 countries, mostly in the U.S. and Mexico, including 72 deaths.
