Photo/Illutration A child receives a flu shot at a pediatric clinic. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The health ministry issued a nationwide influenza caution Feb. 3 as experts urged early treatment if fever persists for two days or more.

This is the first influenza epidemic in three years as cases dropped dramatically during the novel coronavirus pandemic that struck in 2020.

The average number of influenza patients at 5,000 or so medical institutions nationwide for the week of Jan. 23-29 stood at 10.36 per facility, exceeding the benchmark of 10 patients used to determine if a caution should be issued.

Sixteen prefectures reported averages in excess of 10 patients for the most recent week. Some local governments went ahead and issued cautions even if the benchmark was not breached in their jurisdictions.

Around 500 medical institutions used to monitor hospitalization trends for influenza patients reported that 705 patients required hospitalization in January and that many of them were children under the age of 10.

Among young children, caution is required to prevent them developing acute encephalopathy.

Guidelines issued by the Japanese Society of Child Neurology state that influenza is the leading cause of acute encephalopathy. Between 100 and 200 children are hospitalized for it every year. Most are infants under the age of 5 and about 15 die in an average year.

Anyone running a fever above 38 degrees for two days straight who experiences difficulty breathing should immediately consult a doctor for treatment, experts said.

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