Flu comes back faster than expected: Japan is facing one of its earliest nationwide outbreaks - is that the new normal?

The flu season started earlier than usual in Japan. Local media cited Japan’s Ministry of Health on October 3 that the country has experienced the second-star flu outbreak over the past 20 years. The Japan Times set aside 2023, as flu cases during that year were the earliest start for the flu season. According to Time Magazine, more than 4,000 people in Japan were treated for flu between September 22 and September 28. According to the data from the Ministry of Health Ministry, the number of patients treated for flu increased to more than 6,000 people. “Influenza season has begun,” Japan Ministry placed on X on October 3. But not only in Japan, a surge of flu matters in Asia has been seen. This has encouraged some medical experts to warn that the new reality can be easier to get sick easier. Flu vs ordinary cold seasonal flu (the flu) is an infection caused by any of the four types of flu viruses A, B, C and D, with flu A and B causing the most common seasonal outbreaks in humans. Symptoms of flu include acute onset of fever, cough, sore throat, body pain and fatigue. The flu and the usual cold have very similar symptoms. However, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the common cold can be caused by various viruses, including Rhinoviruses. Influenza -viruses versus seasonal flu (flu) viruses, especially flu viruses, is the broad category for all viruses that cause the flu, while “seasonal flu (flu) virus” specifically refers to the strains (mainly A and B) that cause predictable outbreaks, often in winter. When are flu/flu cases higher flu cases are usually higher between December and March and between May and August, according to the transferable diseases in Singapore. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that seasonal epidemics in moderate climates occur mainly during winter, while flu can occur in tropical regions throughout the year, which can cause outbreaks more irregular. In the United States, between 1982-1983 and 2023-2024, flu activity mostly peaked in February (17 seasons), followed by December (7 seasons), January (6 seasons) and March (6 seasons). Flu becomes the new normal? Yoko Tsukamoto, a professor at Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, was quoted by the South China Morning Post and said: “The flu season started early this year, but in the changing world environment it can become a more general scenario.” Meanwhile, Dr. Kimberly Fornace, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s School of Public Health, told Time that there are ‘clear seasonal patterns described for flu in non-tropical areas’, with a higher incidence of flu cases that were typically reported in colder temperatures. In addition, the molecular biologist and scientific journalist Kai Kupferschmidt in Science Magazine suggested that flu epidemics can become less severe as the planet gets hot, but outbreaks can become more common, rather than seasonal. “Since epidemics become less severe in a warming climate, the virus is more likely to spread in many places this year,” Kupferschmidt wrote. Why do flu cases occur more frequently now? Experts have warned that the virus can develop faster and spread easier or earlier than typically in some regions. In addition, an early and rapid spread indicates that the flu virus adjusts at an unprecedented rate. Emerging research indicates that the virus not only spreads more efficiently, but it can also develop resistance to conventional treatments. Tsukamoto said in Asia this week that these changes could help explain why Japan experienced its second-end flu outbreak in two decades. “We see this resistance in Japan, but it is also reported in other parts of the world,” she said. Scientists and experts also point to a “confluence of factors” behind the boom. Mass-tourism in the post-pandemic era may be one of the reasons that accelerated the movement of human and viruses over the borders. “We see a larger circulation of people, both in Japan and worldwide, with people taking the virus to new places, which is another factor behind the virus that adapts to new environments,” Tsukamoto said. In addition, “flu can transmit more easily if people spend most of their time during the winter,” Dr. Kimberly Fornace told Time.