1.5 mil visited clinics for H1N1 flu last week
An estimated 1.54 million new people went to clinics or hospitals to be treated for the H1N1 influenza across Japan last week, up 400,000 from the previous week. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases issued the estimate after analyzing reports from about 4,800 medical institutions.
This translates into an average of 33.3 patients per institution, a significant rise from a week ago. The figure reflects the extent of the infection. The largest number of patients per clinic, at 54.4, was recorded in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, almost the same level as the peak in a seasonal influenza outbreak. This is followed by 53.6 in Akita Prefecture and 49.1 in Hokkaido, both in northern Japan.
The outbreak now appears to be spreading to rural areas, while infections so far have been centered in urban areas.
2009/11/06 14:06(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
