You can listen to the radio on your PC!!!
From March 15th, you will be able to listen to the radio online.
This service includes 7 radio stations located in Tokyo.
If you have internet access and live in either Tokyo, Kanagawa,
Saitama, or Chiba prefectures,
you will be able to listen to the radio through your PC.
No registration is required.
Go to the InterFM website and look for the banner, or simply type http://radiko.jp
Flu Season Is Here
(and this information is partly abstracted from the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry website)
According to an announcment by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on August 21st, it is now regarded as a season of influenza epidemic following the weekly survey between August 10th and 16th on developments of infections diseases. The most infectious of all at the moment is considered to be the new influenza A (H1N1). If this trend continues to evolve, the impact of a dramatic rise in the number of outpatients will increasingly weigh on medical institutions and may well compromise their treatment of severe patients. To avoid this situation as much as possible, we need to keep the increase number of flu patients down to a minimum.
To prevent infection, wash your hands, gargle and remember cough etiquette
*Wash your hands and gargle.
*When you have symptoms of flu, make sure you wear a mask, stay home, and practice strict cough etiquette for others to avoid your cough and sneezes.
Early medical examination and treatment
In most cases, patients with new influenza A (H1N1) will only suffer from relatively-mild symptoms and eventually recover in a matter of few days. But those with underlying conditions such as a respiratory illness and heart disease, mothers-to-be and infants are said to be at a higher risk. If you have such conditions, you are pregnant or you are a parent of small babies, try to receive early medical examination and treatment.
Information about Influenza A (H1N1) (Abstracted (Partly added) from Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry website)
Consultation protocol for Influenza A (Chart courtesy of Tokyo Met Gov.)
Is it possible to distinguish the difference between regular flu and Influenza A?
Symptoms of Influenza A are various, but it’s basically the same as symptoms of regular flu.
Considered symptoms are systemic symptoms including sudden fever, body aches and head aches, in addition to respiratory symptoms such as coughs, sore throat and digestive symptoms like diarrhea etc.
However, record of travelling to outbreaking area, and of contact to infected pigs or infected patients can be essentially referred. If the suspicious case is found from the symptoms, you can have influenza diagnosed by POR for the definite result.
What should we do to prepare/prevent?
Influenza A(H1N1) exists along the extension of the regular flu, so that it’s very important to start from the same action and treatment to prevent the infection.
Bullet points below are the basic “cough manners” we should all be habituated to prevent Influenza A(H1N1) as to prevent the regular flu.
・Cover your mouth and nose with tissue and pull away your face from others when coughing or sneezing.
・Throw away the used tissue immediately
・Ask people who have symptoms such as cough or sneeze to wear a mask
・If you covered your mouth when coughing or sneezing, or blew your nose, wash your hands immediately.
In addition, following are essentially demanded;
・Wash your hands and gargle routinely when you come home or after touching objects in general public.
・Wash your hands with soap at least for 15 seconds and wipe off well with a clean towel or a disposal towel.
・Don’t approach within 2m of the infected patient.
・Refrain from unnecessary and non-urgent travel to epidemic area and busy streets.
・Have a enough rest to restore stamina and raise resistance to the virus, take balanced meal with enough nutrition, live life with a regular routine, and keep yourself resistant to infections.
Please consult your doctor regularly if you have chronic decease such as diabetes or high blood pressure, because your illness makes you less resistant to Influenza infection. In order to prevent misjudging that you’re infected in case of Influenza A’s outbreak, please take vaccination for the measles and regular flu, which have similar symptoms.
Furthermore, other infectious deceases like tuberculosis and pertussis makes it easier for Influenza A to be infected, therefore, it’s important to consult doctors regularly and have vaccinations if necessary.
If Influenza A becomes epidemic in Japan, it is expected that numbers of imported goods may decrease or import itself may stop. We can also expect that distribution of daily food and necessities may be affected.
It is strongly advised that unnecessary and non-urgent travel should be avoided to prevent infections. It’s also recommended to store enough food and daily necessities for at least 2 weeks.
Is it compulsory to have a treatment if infected?
Under the Infectious Decease Law, it’s an obligation to be hospitalized and treated properly. Also if there’s a highly suspicious patient in family members or becomes close to you, he/she must stay in and report to health center about his/her health condition.
Is it necessary to take special caution to the chronic decease patients who are diagnosed in a medical institution?
Chronic decease patients who consult doctors regularly should be prescribed medications for the longer term and consider the condition carefully, but make the number of visits to the hospital as small as possible.
The prescription can be provided via FAX by the doctors if chronic decease patients are believed to be infected by Influenza A, after the doctor’s confirmation by the telephone consultation.
In order to make this procedure smooth, please record it on the medical sheet in agreement with the doctor.
Can Tamiflu be prescribed for the preventive administration?
Regarding Tamiflu, it is prescribed to contain at the first phase of the outbreak in Japan. If the infection spreads or preventive administration stocks become lower than the steady amount, the nation stops to provide it for preventive administration and treating the infected patients becomes priority.
My family member comes home from outbreaking countries. What’s the procedure he/she has to go through before coming home?
(1) He/she must be isolated if he/she is infected.
(2) If you have spent time with suspicious patient of Influenza A during your travel, or had a direct contact or spoke to the patient within 2m, you’re subjected to be held for retention.
(3) Fellow passengers and immigration from outbreaking countries are subjected to go under health surveillance under the Quarantine Law.
Can I stay with my family member who came back from countries of outbreaking countries? And also should I avoid having meals with him/her?
Even if the returnee doesn’t recognize the symptoms, he/she should stay home for at least 10 days and refrain from going out as little as possible. There is no problem, however, for them to have dinner with the family members or spend time in the same room.
Can you keep it secret that I’m going through health surveillance?
You personal data will be maintained and protected strictly by the quarantine, prefectural governments, or the health center.
Is there any penalty if I refuse the health surveillance under the Quarantine Law?
You will be subjected to criminal punishment if you refuse the health surveillance under the Quarantine Law.
(Quarantine Law / Article 36, Less than 6 months sentence or penalty charges of \500, 000)
Returnees from out breaking countries of Influenza A, including Mexico and USA, who have symptoms of flu within 10 days of arriving, and have high fever, should please contact each area’s consultation service centre.
For Minato City residents, the contact number is 03-5320-4509. Please be aware the service is in
For Meguro City residents, call 03-5722-9187
And for Yokohama City residents, call 045-671-4183.
Tokyo Metropolitan Health Medical Information centre, Himawari, also provides information about medical institutions. Call 03-5272-8181 for your assistance in English, Chinese Mandarin, Korean, Thai and Spanish.
※Please refer to each Link for the up-to-date information and consultation service from national/local government.
