Number of flu cases in Japan estimated at over 9 mil

Saturday 21st November, 06:53 AM JST

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dejaboo at 11:49 AM JST - 21st November

I'm in two minds about the masks. On the one hand I can see how they wouldn't work, but on the other.... I'm 28 weeks pregnant (can't get vaccine till 30wks. Grrrr...). I work at a medical university and SO MANY of my students have had confirmed H1N1. I mean 20% of some classes. I also take a very crowded train full of filthy old men coughing and sneezing everywhere. I wear a mask every day and am kind of over-obsessive about hand-washing right now. I have miraculously managed to avoid the flu so far (touch wood!). A lot of the students do wear masks when they have a cold etc. but a lot don't. I'm not saying the mask is the reason I haven't caught it, but if the sick person is wearing a mask and I am wearing a mask, the chances of it spreading to me would have to be decreased somewhat, no?
griff at 11:49 AM JST - 21st November

yikes! hold the front page! human beings in getting sick shocker! what will they think of next!!!
sabiwabi at 12:00 PM JST - 21st November

I think masks do work. They'll block most droplets from coughs and sneezes and they'll stop you from touching your own mouth or nose with your hands, which I think are the main source of infection.
LoveUSA at 12:02 PM JST - 21st November

i do not like men with flu masks, makes them look like courageless kids.
BBLeo at 12:19 PM JST - 21st November

It is better to get this 'H1N1 virus' than being on drugs. Do 'Drug Lords' also get this virus? I wonder if scientists have any progress to stop this virous going around? The injections against it are now available in many countries around the globe, but there isn't any positive reaction that virus died. First we had 'SWINE FLUE' and than they changed it to 'H1N1,' and I suggest that the next name should be named as: 'APACHU' traditional name by Americans for American Indians long time ago as 'APACHI' meaning for enemy. 'I VOTE FOR APACHU!' Japanese people were wearing masks before this 'APACHU' showed up, so all such people should be free of virus.
Weasel at 12:33 PM JST - 21st November

Is this supposed to mean that the world is coming to an end? Bummer.
peachy871 at 02:52 PM JST - 21st November

I love men with flu masks! At least some of the men I see on the trains, that is. They need them because no one ever taught them to cover their mouths so that they won't cough and sneeze all over the people around them! Not saying that the masks actually stop you from catching a virus but it is refreshing to be sneezed and coughed on a little less. Not to mention the marked decrease in the population of train nose pickers! Hurrah for masks!
Disillusioned at 04:35 PM JST - 21st November

bamboohat - many of these 9 million likely have the normal flu, or even minor colds.

That is what the article states. The doctors don't bother distinguishing between H1N1 and normal flu cos of the cost involved. If you have a runny nose and a fever you have the flu and you join this statistic. Then, you can look forward to some psychotic episodes while downing tamiflu over the following fortnight. I think my wife has been taking it for years. :P
SwissToni at 07:32 PM JST - 21st November

First transmissable Tamiflu resistant H1N1 confirmed in the UK. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8370859.stm
5SpeedRacer5 at 03:47 AM JST - 22nd November

Disillusioned, Bamboohat...

The antibody for H1N1 is identifiable, and the symptoms differ slightly from regular flu. I caught it this season, and I have to say it is worse than the typical flu because it is more respiratory, and it spreads more easily for that very reason.

Yes people recover very quickly, if they use Tamiflu particularly, but I did not treat mine, and it lingered for a week. I can imagine that it can kill some people, but it is the flu, not typhoid. You get it, you get over it. With luck, you do not infect others in the interim.

I believe the 9 million number. Sounds about right. Schools have cancelled classes, special programs, etc. Universities have cancelled classes, etc.

Some people seem to look at their surroundings and experiences and draw broad inferences about what things must be like in all of Japan. They attribute all of these dark motives to people who are trying to record what is happening. I know that is normal on this site, but it is not very rational.

SwissToni: I can imagine that this happens, but it is not so frightening. Tamiflu only treats the symptoms and creates conditions in the body that help people get over it quickly. Recovery is possible without Tamiflu, so I think that this is not a big deal.
Disillusioned at 07:35 AM JST - 22nd November

5SpeedRacer5 - The antibody for H1N1 is identifiable

Yes, by expensive pathology tests, which are not covered by the national health insurance, so doctors DO NOT test for it unless specifically requested or in exceptionally sick patients. Thus, this statistic includes anybody with a fever and a runny nose. Get it?
tigerguy at 05:47 PM JST - 22nd November

Apasara good for you. Have you ever taken the flu shot over the last 3-4 years?
kitzrow at 06:21 PM JST - 23rd November

I have to agree with dejaboo. He/She is an environment where transmission is possible as I also work in a university. I wear a mask just to protect myself from possible touching my mouth or eyes during the class time and from people who do not have the decency to even try to cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough. I have always wondered if parents teach this to their children. On the way to the class twice a week, I wear the mask on the crowded trains. I rarely see someone sneezing or coughing stifle that sneeze or cough with his/her hand. On most occasions I see them turn their head to the right or left and let it burst from their mouth. Last week I got a double dose of someone taller than me and even my looks of 'why can't you at least try to cover your mouth?' got not reaction. So though the mask issue may be true, it does provide some prevention and that is why I wear one. I am surprised that more Japanese do not don a mask! Being older and diabetic also is a reason I try to prevent this flu from enveloping me.
nandakandamanda at 07:18 PM JST - 23rd November

Bumped into a student on Thursday who apologized for missing Monday's class. 'Shingata' he explained with a shrug. 'How was it?' I asked. 'Oh, a temperature of over 40 degrees, felt like my head was splitting open,' he replied. 'Your breathing?' I asked. 'No, no problems at all.' 'What dd you take?' 'Relenza,' he said.
dracpoo2 at 12:54 PM JST - 26th November

...this massive spread will continue untill Japanese start covering their mouths when they cough and not spit everywhere. I try to ignore it as much as possible but it gets to me sometimes. In my little third world homeland, babies are taught to cover their mouths, even with a yawn. They also know that spitting in public is an embarrassing no-no. Enough said. Oh..... washing their hands wouldn't hurt either. These new health strategies should be introduced here. What if some other more serious contagious health scare comes along???