Gov't to set up fever clinics after WHO raises flu alert

Thursday 30th April, 12:41 PM JST

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

› Login to comment

Latest 15 of 20 Total Comments Show All

timorborder at 09:53 AM JST - 30th April

Given the battering that Japan's health services have taken in the past over issues such as refusing to treat patients, it will be very interesting to see how this problem is handled. I am also worried about the significant gap that is present in Japan with regard to the quality of doctors. While there are some very good doctors in this country, there are also many whose diagnostic skills leave much to be desired (to be somewhat polite about things).

The other issue that concerns me is the culture of going to see the doctor as soon as the slightest symptoms appear. The outcome of this is waiting rooms (that are warm and stuffy) clogged with people sharing germs. Such an environment would seem to be ideal for the spreading of this flu strain rather than its containment.
Richard_the_First at 10:18 AM JST - 30th April

The problem will be panicked Japanese with 'flu' like symptoms (read colds) trying to force their doctor in giving giving out Tamiflu, depleting stocks for those who really need it, if and when the new Mexican Wave hits these islands.
MichaelJP at 10:43 AM JST - 30th April

Everyone with a bit of hayfever is now going to think they are dying of swine flu. At least people don't sit next to me on the train anymore... you can see the fear in their eyes when they spot a foreigner.
Richard_the_First at 10:49 AM JST - 30th April

Maybe I will wear a mask today and go out of my way to avoid the locals. Pay back time....
tkoind2 at 10:52 AM JST - 30th April

This flu is just normal history repeating itself.
LoveUSA at 11:08 AM JST - 30th April

It is just a flu...who gains of this scare, bird flu now swine flu? Nothing happened with the bird flu, I guess nothing so dangerous with the swine flu. there is no difference in mortality rates between human flu and swine flu.
Richard_the_First at 11:11 AM JST - 30th April

But a vaccine doesn't exist and it may mutate quickly. This the concern, surely.
LoveUSA at 11:17 AM JST - 30th April

flu viruses always mutate...
jonnyboy at 11:36 AM JST - 30th April

The other issue that concerns me is the culture of going to see the doctor as soon as the slightest symptoms appear. The outcome of this is waiting rooms (that are warm and stuffy) clogged with people sharing germs. Such an environment would seem to be ideal for the spreading of this flu strain rather than its containment.

quite. hospitals are exactly where this sort of virus would spread in this country. also, i wonder about more cases of children being given tamiflu, tripping out and jumping from buildings, as happened a few years ago
ogtob at 01:08 PM JST - 30th April

If you have anything hear a normal constitution, it's not like you are surely going to die if you get this flu.
BTADT at 03:23 PM JST - 30th April

Yes they do mutate, but a little more radical than general run of the mill flu viruses. A(H1N1) genetically bonds, converges, and mutates with the code of other pathogens, and the results can be unpredictable. So far this little bad boy is part pig pathogen from North America, part pig pathogen from Eurasia, part bird pathogen from North America, and part human pathogen. It could evolve in its evolutionary quest of natural fitness and not kill its host (similar to what some hope the HIV will eventually do), or…time will tell what it mutates into....
Rekishika at 03:40 PM JST - 30th April

It will be interesting to know the thresholds of the WHO alert levels, which are strikingly low: "Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region." (http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html). So effectively you can have a level 5 alert with human-to-human infections in any two countries, regardless of the level and the mortality rates... Setting up clinics is probably a good idea, provided that the treatment of other, more dangerous, diseases is not impaired by moving staff. In cold, hard risk analysis, it would probably be a waste of resources, but that´s not the whole story. People tend to exagerate rare and spectacular risks and when they do are not generally prepared to listen to cold risk analysis. Setting up clinics costs some money and could divert some resources away from other illnesses, but if you have the resources, it could have a reassuring effect that also is important. The most important reason why I´d consider this measure a good one though is that it doesn´t cause the wholesale disruption of people´s lives and feelings that the earlier measure of inspections (without considering how to balance that measure in such a way that it causes least disruption) does. All in all, the extra clinics are a trade-off with a much lower price and probably better rewards. I have been highly critical in the past about other measures of the J-gov. On this particular measure I´d like to say something positive for a change.
MichaelJP at 04:25 PM JST - 30th April

My flu alert level goes to 11.
DeepAir65 at 06:16 PM JST - 30th April

does that mean that hospitals won't refuse you?

I bet the clinics are already full of Japanese people that sneezed the day after going for a mexican meal....
mael at 06:17 PM JST - 30th April

"If you have faith in the local medical system to care for us in a pandemic, then I have a great bridge accross the bay for sale for 1.5 mil yen."

Oh great! That's just what I wanted. 1.5 mill? That's a bargain. Can you deliver it? It reminds me of the herbs I paid 4 mill for from a gypsy that make you immune to all flu viruses. And I haven't caught the flu yet so it must be good.

We can rely on the government to cock everything up by complicating everything with beaurocracy, and if any drugs which are alleged to cure this flu are administered to the ignorant peons then they'll make a small band of already rich people even richer.

The longer this goes on the more it seems like hype. But it's not a laughing matter because many people were invalidated or killed with the last attempt at (allegedly) 'vaccinating' people against 'swine flu, and there is no reason to expect any subsequent effort fo medicate the masses will be an improvement - Actually the stuff they claim vaccinates is even more lethal now than it was before and the serfs' immune systems are in even worse shape than ever before.

That's my take on it. Whatever diseases you get the most sensible course of action is through maintaining and augmenting your own immune system and the drugs the doctors peddle are worse than useless.

'Fever clinics!!!' WT ...H! Is this part of the plan to get the people ready to accept mandatory medication by panicking them 24/7? Hell! Why don't they declare an international emergency like a plague every year so they can sell more snake oil? Oh that's right... they already do.