Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine reported on February 5 that Vietnam’s event-based surveillance system has recorded information about the seasonal flu outbreak in Japan.
According to data published by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan on January 31, about 9.5 million cases of seasonal flu were recorded in Japan from September 2, 2024 to January 26, 2025. During the final week of 2024 alone (December 23–29), over 317,000 cases were reported.
The outbreak is primarily concentrated in densely populated areas with high tourist traffic, including Tokyo, Hokkaido, Osaka, and Fukuoka. The current surge is predominantly driven by influenza A, although the risk of a B strain outbreak remains.
Earlier on January 7, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned of a sharp increase in seasonal respiratory diseases across many northern hemisphere countries. It was attributed to various respiratory pathogens, including the seasonal flu virus, RSV, HMPV, and mycoplasma pneumoniae.
The ministry said it continues to closely monitor the situation both at home and abroad in order to provide guidance and directions to local authorities and agencies, with the aim of adopting timely and appropriate measures while ensuring the dissemination of accurate information to prevent public panic.
At the same time, the ministry stressed the need to avoid complacency or negligence, particularly as current weather conditions are conducive to the spread of respiratory pathogens./.
