Japan experiences sudden rise in swine flu cases
Thousands of schools and businesses shut in Japan over swine flu
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Monday, 18, May 2009 12:15
Thousands of schools and business have been forced to close in Japan after the number of confirmed cases of swine flu jumped rapidly.
The official number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in Japan now stands at over 120. On Friday, the figure had stood at just four.
Over the weekend the first report of someone contracting the virus without travelling abroad was announced and since then Japanese citizens have been discouraged from unnecessary travel in a bid to contain the spread of the disease.
While none of the new Japanese cases are thought to be life-threatening, the government has implemented a series of measures in an attempt to prevent the rapid rise continuing.
Most of those infected are thought to be students in the Hyogo and Osaka regions of western Japan. It is believed the virus spread quickly through both areas after schools from the regions met in a volleyball tournament.
So far the only confirmed deaths from swine flu have occurred in Mexico, where the virus is thought to have originated, and the United States.