熊本 —— 随着日本全国流感爆发迎来有记录以来第二早的开始时间，7月遭遇强烈地震的熊本县也出现了流感蔓延的情况。
Kumamoto – As Japan tackles the second-earliest start of a nationwide influenza outbreak, the flu is also spreading in Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by a powerful earthquake in July.
7月28日发生最大震度7的地震两个多月后，仍有1300多人留在避难所，专家强调了早日接种疫苗的重要性。
With more than 1,300 people still staying at evacuation centers two months after the July 28 temblor thated the maximum 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, an expert has stressed the importance of getting vaccinated early.
据监测医疗机构报告，截至8月23日当周，全国每定点医疗机构平均报告流感患者数超过1.0人，达到判定流行开始的基准。除2023年流感全年流行外，这是自1999年有统计以来第二早的流行开始时间。
The average number of influenza patients reported per monitored medical institution nationwide exceeded 1.0 in the week through Aug. 23, the benchmark used to define the start of an outbreak. It was the second earliest start of a flu outbreak since records began in 1999, excluding 2023, when the flu was common year-round.
截至9月27日当周，平均患者数达7.17人。冲绳县超过30人的警报级别，埼玉县等4个县超过10人的报警级别。
In the week that ended Sept. 27, the average number of patients stood at 7.17. Okinawa Prefecture logged a figure higher than the warning level of 30, while four prefectures, including Saitama, recorded numbers exceeding the alert level of 10.
熊本县于9月6日当周进入流行期，截至9月27日当周平均患者数达3.86人。
Kumamoto marked the start of a flu outbreak in the week through Sept. 6, with the average number of patients reaching 3.86 for the week through Sept. 27.
截至周五，熊本县八个市町村（包括八代市）的避难所仍有约1360人避难。
As of Friday, about 1,360 people were staying at evacuation centers in eight municipalities in the prefecture, including the city of Yatsushiro.
“避难所里人们往往近距离接触，接触越多，传染病越容易传播，”专门研究传染病对策的长崎大学医院教授泉川公一表示。
“People tend to be in close proximity to each other at evacuation centers, and the more contact people have with one another, the more likely infectious diseases are to spread,” Koichi Izumikawa, professor at Nagasaki University Hospital specializing in infectious disease control, said.
泉川强调了防止感染扩散的措施重要性，包括出现不适及时报告症状、咳嗽或流鼻涕时佩戴口罩，以及洗手、通风等基本措施。
Izumikawa stressed the importance of steps to prevent the spread of infections, including reporting symptoms promptly when feeling unwell and wearing a mask when coughing or having a runny nose, in addition to basic measures such as washing hands and ventilating rooms.
他补充道，虽然接种疫苗对预防流感很重要，但疫苗不会立即生效，因此尽早接种很关键。
While vaccinations are important in preventing the flu, vaccines do not take effect immediately, so it is important to get shots early, he added.
熊本县政府于周三开始询问避难所内的人员是否愿意接种疫苗。该县正向6个月以上的避难者发放接种券，以便他们从10月13日起可在当地医疗机构免费接种疫苗。
The Kumamoto Prefectural Government on Wednesday began asking people at evacuation centers whether they wanted to receive vaccinations. It is issuing vaccination vouchers to evacuees age 6 months and older so that they can receive shots free of charge at local medical institutions from Oct. 13.