Travel to Japan Alert: Influenza Outbreak! What You Need to Know

Visitors should stay updated on health advisories before traveling to Japan to ensure a safe trip.

Since the start of 2025, avian influenza has been spreading rapidly across Japan, raising serious concerns. In January alone, authorities culled 5.4 million chickens and other birds in an effort to contain the outbreak.

Between January 6 and 12, 5,000 designated medical institutions reported a total of 172,417 influenza cases, averaging 35 patients per facility. This figure has exceeded the alert threshold of 30 cases per institution for the fourth consecutive week, according to Kyodo News.

On February 3, Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, best known for her role in Meteor Garden, with a history of epilepsy and heart disease, tragically passed away due to pneumonia caused by influenza during a family trip to Japan.

This heartbreaking incident highlights the importance of taking health precautions seriously, especially when traveling. Individuals with pre-existing medical conditions are at a higher risk of developing severe complications if they contract the flu.

1:10 - Health Experts strongly recommend that travellers :
get vaccinated against the current influenza strains at least two weeks before departure to allow time for antibodies to develop.
wear masks in crowded places,
Practice good hand hygiene,
keep a record of local emergency contacts
purchase travel insurance before their trip.

1:30 - How Influenza Spreads
According to the World Health Organization, influenza spreads easily, especially in crowded areas. The virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets expelled into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also spread when someone touches a contaminated surface and then touches their nose, mouth, or eyes.

The incubation period—the time between infection and the onset of symptoms—ranges from one to four days. Infected individuals can spread the virus starting one day before symptoms appear and remain contagious for up to a week after symptoms develop.

2:05 - Difference Between Influenza and Common Cold
Influenza (flu) is different from the common cold, even though they share some similar symptoms. The flu is caused by influenza viruses (A, B, C, and D), while the common cold is usually caused by rhinoviruses.

One of the key differences is how symptoms appear—flu symptoms develop suddenly and severely, whereas cold symptoms come on gradually and are milder.
People with the flu often experience high fever (38°C–40°C) lasting for days, severe body aches, extreme fatigue, and a persistent dry cough. On the other hand, the common cold rarely causes fever, and body aches are mild. While both illnesses can cause a runny nose, sore throat, and cough, these symptoms are usually more severe with the flu. Headaches are also common with influenza but rare in colds.
A major concern with influenza is its potential complications, such as pneumonia, hospitalization, or even death, especially in vulnerable groups like young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. In contrast, the common cold is usually mild and resolves on its own.

3:14 - Barbie Hsu's Health Issues
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, who has a history of mitral valve prolapse, lost consciousness at home in 2017 after experiencing a relapse due to exhaustion, giving her then-husband, Wang Xiaofei, a scare. Mitral valve prolapse, a condition that affects the heart’s valve function, can cause symptoms such as irregular heartbeat, dizziness, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and chest pain, with overexertion sometimes triggering a relapse. Wang immediately rushed her to the hospital for treatment.

Hsu has faced several serious health challenges over the years. In 2016, shortly after giving birth to her second child, a son, she stopped breathing and had to be urgently transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. Despite undergoing medical evaluation, doctors were unable to determine the exact cause of her condition. Hsu later described the experience as a “coma”, though she recalled being in a semi-conscious state, with one persistent thought running through her mind—her deep desire to see her daughter.
She opened up about this terrifying and life-threatening ordeal when she appeared on the variety show After Becoming a Mother, sharing how the experience left a lasting impact on her.

Pregnancy and childbirth were particularly difficult for Hsu, and her health struggles did not end there. She was later forced to terminate her third pregnancy after doctors discovered that the fetus was not developing properly. This pregnancy had already put immense strain on her body, even triggering an epileptic seizure at one point, further highlighting the serious toll her health had endured over the years.