Due to the spread of influenza infection in Australia in the Southern Hemisphere, the Japan Vaccine Society has announced that it "strongly recommends" vaccination against influenza, saying that it may be prevalent in Japan as well.
This view was published on the website of the Japanese Society of Vaccines, which is made up of vaccine researchers, on the 23rd of this month.
According to this, influenza has not spread in Japan for the past two years since the spread of the new coronavirus infection, and some age groups have a low proportion of people with antibodies. There is concern that the number of severely ill people will increase and the burden on medical care will increase due to the simultaneous epidemic with the new corona.
In addition, in Australia in the Southern Hemisphere, which is a predictor of epidemics in the Northern Hemisphere, influenza infections have been spreading since March.
For this reason, the academic society has stated that it is "strongly recommended" for this year's influenza vaccination.
In addition, vaccination is especially recommended for elderly people aged 65 and over, infants aged 6 months and over and under 5 years old, pregnant women and people with underlying illnesses.
Kenji Okada, President of the Japan Vaccine Society, said, "This is a global epidemic of influenza, so it is better to raise the alert level in Japan as well."