How worried is Japan about Swine Flu?

Takeshita87,

People weaing masks IS the street view in Japan, as mentioned. You see more of them every April (due to allergie) and every winter (due to light colds), and foreign tourists have found it weird, but that's part of the culture.

I just came back from Tokyo a couple of days ago...

Everything is fine and ok... About 1 in every 15 - 20 pse in the streets of Tokyo is wearing mask... Ppl are moving on with their lives as per normal... I hardly remember anyone wearing mask in Harajuku on a Sunday... So your pictures wont be ruin with ppl wearing masks...

Plus... It was great to travel during this period esp if u r visiting disneyland... The longest time to q for the popular rides in Disneyland was merely 40mins compared to the last time I came (2hrs !!!)

Thanks a lot for the information, Annie!

I have question:
In Disneyland, the reason why there were less people is because they are afraid of catching swine flu? or there were less children because of that?

Hi Mellow...

I wont know the exact reason... All i can say is other than Japanese Teens,
Disneyland was infested with tourists / tour groups many years ago when i visited disneyland... This time round there was hardly any tourist... Just local Japanese teens and some japanese families... I think that was great !!! As for young children... i dun think there is a increase of decrease during both my visits...

I din worry too much about the swine flu... Japanese are clean and health conscious ppl... They have clean streets... well maintained toilets... good hygiene habits... excellent service... what more do u have to wori ??

I am worried about Narita Airport. Did you wear a mask in the airport?

Why are you worried about the airport? Most of the staff there will be wearing masks, but whether you wear a mask is up to you. Be aware that masks are actually not all that effective to prevent viral infections- wearing them just seems to make people feel safer.

Nope...
I din wear a mask...
The ppl working the the airport are...
Some ppl on board are wearing it too...

It seems tat the 1st imported cases in most countries are imported from US... Ppl return home with the H1N1 virus after visiting US...So if u r cmg from the States.. i guess it safer to wear one...

Not to mention again, that Japanese people usually wear masks when they are feeling ill or because of allergies, and has nothing to do with swine flu. Though again nothing to worry about, if you look it at a purely numbers, about 700 people (zero deaths) out of a population of over 125 residents (and countless visitors) , the odds of catching swine flu is pretty small. I say it always, a big earthquake, slipping on soap or catching the regular cold could probably happen before you get swine flu in Japan.

Believe me... The swine flu is far from an epidemic yet, regardless of country, and considering that Japan is at the farthest end of the PAcific which would be at least 3500 miles from any real serious cases of swine, even via plane travel wouldn't pose a threat as disease has become a lower issue due to exposure from everywhere to everywhere. (diseases are no longer a generally local thing.

The number of cases has increased to 1200. Why so many people started to get infected? Has the virus been spreading in schools recently?

Frankly speaking, and looking at the world atlas, I feel that the main reason the numbers are increasing is because many people here in Japan are honest enough to go to the doctor. This is just my humble opinion, but really, that's what I think.

At least, I don't feel that it's sreading among schools any more, and we haven't received any special notices from my son's high school either.

As mentioned, the local's reactions are toned down now, however, as a nature of this country, many overseas school trips are still being canceled or have changed their destinations.

Also, I think it is healthy to realize that while the total "number of cases" is increasing, the number of currently infected people is hardly increasing, at all. After all, probably over 900 of these "1000 cases" have completely recovered by now.

Uji is right- remember that that is 1,200 cases since the virus first arrived here in May- 90 percent or more of those people have completely recovered now, so it is still a tiny number compared to population- there is a theory that up to a million people have been infected with swine flu in the US at this time.

I would say the reporting in every country is no longer really accurate- in my home country, they are now advising people not to go to the doctor at all if they get flu symptoms, but just to stay home until they get better.

Again I say, it is not a serious illness, nothing to be concerned about.

Recorded cases has topped 3400. Is the virus spreading inside the country?

I don't know anyone who's had it, and 3,400 in a population of 126,000,000 is still a tiny percentage. add to that the fact that probably only about 150 of those 3,400 are actually sick now, and you end up with...a situation that is not very worrying. Hardly a wildfire spread.

I think the number of cases reported in every country are very misleading, as Sira already pointed out. They just add up, while many people have recovered already. You don't count regular flu that way either, otherwise the number of regular flu would be about 5 billion people worldwide right now, if not more. People recover, and when it comes to flu/swine flu they recover quite quickly and it's not a serious disease, so it's nothing to worry about really. :)

At least they don't talk about it on local news here in Japan any more.

Around 100 case are detected each day in Japan. Are most of these cases detected in the airports? or inside the country? Are most of these people got infected outside Japan? or inside Japan?

Rikku,

Where are you getting your numbers? The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare posts official numbers everyday and it is currently more like 200 new cases per day, practically all of them domestic. So far in Japan, the swine flu appears no more virulent and dangerous than the regular flu, and the Ministry of Health is currently recommending regular flu precautions.

Basically its no big deal here, and out of the public's mind. But if you want to obsess over the numbers then you can check them daily here:

http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/topics/influenza_a/index....

Hi everybody,

I will go to Japan on Thursday. But I am a little bit worried since the cases topped 5000 in Japan.

I have learnt that everyday many cases are found in the city where I will stay. Many people with swine flu also walks around in the airports. Do you stil think that chances of me getting the virus is low?