Panic Buying Hits Japan Amid Flu Frenzy
Tokyo – Japan is currently experiencing a wave of panic buying that's leading to medication shortages across hospitals and pharmacies. Since flu cases skyrocketed in late December last year, the situation has been anything but chill.
According to reports from China Media Group, some medical institutions might have overdone it by hoarding meds, causing uneven stock distribution. Not cool, right?
Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases estimates that from September 2, 2024, to January 26, 2025, there have been about 9.523 million flu cases in the country. That's like the entire population of a small country getting sick! 
The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare dropped some jaw-dropping stats: the final week of December 2024 saw the highest weekly flu cases since they started keeping track in 1999. Around 5,000 designated medical institutions reported a whopping 317,812 patients that week alone, averaging 64.39 cases per facility. Talk about a flu tsunami! 
With all this going down, health officials are urging everyone to keep it clean and safe. That means mask up and wash those hands thoroughly. Let's all do our part to keep this flu from spreading even more!
But wait, there's more. Japan is also dealing with a surge in avian influenza outbreaks. In January, about 5 million chickens and other birds were culled across five prefectures. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries warns that the situation isn't slowing down and could potentially break records. Yikes!
Egg prices are cracking under pressure too, with a 15% increase since the start of the year. Looks like that omelette might cost a bit more at brunch this weekend. 
Stay safe out there, and remember: sharing is caring, but not when it comes to the flu! 
Reference(s):
Panic buying causes drug shortages in Japan amid flu outbreak
cgtn.com
