New flu enters epidemic stage in Japan as number of cases rises+

TOKYO, Aug. 21 Kyodo -
The number of influenza cases reported by around 5,000 designated medical
institutions across Japan during the week of Aug. 10-16 stood at 7,750, a
national institute said Friday, estimating that the number of infections
nationwide has reached 110,000.

The figure in a preliminary report released Friday by the National Institute of
Infectious Diseases represents 1.69 cases per facility, topping the 1.00 level
deemed as representing the beginning of an epidemic. The figure for the
previous week of Aug. 3-9 was 4,630, or 0.99 per facility.
Most of the flu cases in the reporting week are believed to involve infections
of the new H1N1 strain of influenza A, institute officials said in a comment
that was echoed by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare later in the day.
On Wednesday, health minister Yoichi Masuzoe said a new-flu epidemic has begun
in Japan.
The number of flu cases per facility began to increase in early July and
continued to rise in August, the officials said.
The number of flu cases per facility topped the 1.00 level in 26 of Japan's 47
prefectures, indicating an expansion in the number of areas and infection
levels across Japan, they said.
By prefecture, Okinawa led a list of prefectures hardest hit by influenza with
29.60 cases per facility in the reporting week, up from 20.36 the preceding
week. Okinawa was followed by Nara with 2.96, Shiga with 2.48, Fukushima with
2.45, and Tokyo and Osaka, both with 2.14.
Japan's first death linked to the new flu was reported in Okinawa last week.
Two more fatalities were reported earlier this week in Kobe and Nagoya.
==Kyodo