Japan saw a record 64.39 influenza patients per clinic, on average, in the final week of December, the health ministry said Thursday, confirming the highest number of reported cases since ministry records began in 1999.

In the week through Dec. 29, there were a total of 317,812 reported cases of the flu, which is nearly three times the number from the same period in 2023. The average number of cases per clinic jumped from 42.66 the week before.

The number of patients has been on the rise across the nation, with all 47 prefectures reporting an increase from a week earlier.