6,300 Schools Closed, a 24-Fold Surge... Japan Struggles Amid Explosive Spread of 'K Variant'

Flu Cases in Japan Rise for 14 Consecutive Weeks
6,323 Classrooms Closed Across the Country

In Japan, the number of students contracting influenza (the flu) is surging, leading to a series of school classroom closures.

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According to reports from Asahi Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun on December 1, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that, during the week of November 17 to 23, a total of 196,895 flu cases were reported by approximately 3,000 medical institutions nationwide, averaging 51.1 cases per institution. This figure is 1.35 times higher than the previous week, marking a 14th consecutive week of increases.

There are also medical institutions where the number of flu patients treated from November 10 to 16 exceeded 100. The director of a hospital in Minato Ward, Tokyo, stated, "Even patients who have already had the flu can be infected by other viruses, so those who have not yet received a vaccine should do so as soon as possible."

With flu cases rising sharply, the operation of schools is being disrupted. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that a total of 6,323 childcare centers, kindergartens, and elementary, middle, and high schools have closed some classes due to an increase in infected students-24 times higher than the same period last year.

A 42-year-old woman with two daughters attending an elementary school in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, said, "This is the first time I have seen so many classes close at such a rapid pace."

However, confusion is arising because there is no "closure criteria clause" in the School Health and Safety Act. The woman commented, "The standards for class closures keep changing." She explained that while one second-grade class was closed when there were six absentees, her daughter's class was not closed even on days when the number of absentees rose to nine.

Temporary school closures, whether of individual classes or entire grades, are infectious disease prevention measures based on the School Health and Safety Act. Although the authority to decide on temporary closures rests with the school founders, such as local governments, it is generally the principal who makes the decision. In some local governments, classroom closures are determined based on the flu absentee rate. For example, Tokyo reportedly sets the closure threshold at about 20% absenteeism, while Osaka Prefecture uses 15% or more as its standard.

Professor Reiko Saito of Niigata University (Public Health) pointed out, "If children transmit the infection to their guardians or other family members, it can quickly spread throughout the community. Closing classes at the early stage of a flu outbreak is highly effective and is a necessary measure to prevent a major flu epidemic."

The flu virus currently spreading in Japan is a new subvariant of influenza A H3N2, known as "K (subclade K)." The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare emphasized that personal hygiene measures such as handwashing and gargling, along with vaccination, are effective means to prevent infection and severe illness.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.