Flu Rages in Taiwan: The Number of Patients is a Record High for 10 Years.

Nearly 140,000 residents in Taiwan visited hospitals due to the flu last week, setting a record high in the last 10 years. This was reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the island.

The number of hospital visits for flu-like illnesses rose to 139,613 last week – the highest figure for the same period in a decade. Meanwhile, 49 severe cases of illness and 10 deaths from the flu have been reported.

The dominant flu strain on the island remains H1N1, known as swine flu. Since the start of the current flu season in Taiwan on October 1, 2024, there have been 461 cases of severe complications and 101 fatalities. Doctors are urging residents to get vaccinated against the flu as soon as possible.

Taiwanese medical professionals anticipate that the epidemic will peak before the Chinese New Year, which falls on January 29 this year. Celebrations in Taiwan will last from January 25 to 31. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that at least 150,000 people will contract the flu during the festive week.

Earlier, it became known that Japan is suffering from the largest flu outbreak in the last 25 years. During the last week of December, the flu was diagnosed in 317.8 thousand people, a record high since records began in 1999.