More public facilities closed due to new flu fears
The number of Japanese schools and other public facilities closed last week because of the H1N1 influenza epidemic was up 60 percent on the previous week.
The health ministry says nearly 14,000 schools and other public facilities across Japan were fully or partially closed during the week that ended last Saturday. More than half were elementary schools, totaling about 7,500.
The number of fresh mass outbreaks involving more than 10 patients per facility reported in the week through last Sunday was 380, up 80 percent from a week earlier.
The ministry says 570 infected people were hospitalized in the week ending last Tuesday, up more than 100 from the previous week. 20 of them are being treated in intensive care units.