I'm a worker of a munincipal Public Health Center.One of my job is to promote human health and to investigate infectious diseases.
Now patients of novel influenza have been confirmed here in Japan.
2days ago, patients were only 10 students.But now, the number of patients got rised to 135, mainly 10 - 20 years old students.
They have never been to oversee trip. They have got diseases in Japan, by person to person infection.
I wonder where did the first viruses come from? When? How?

Today we had a lot of phone calls...some are afraid that if their children could catch flu, some complain that masks were all sold out at drug stores, some complain that the government officials don't do appropriate work...
It's a kind of "festivals", we were somehow exciting, even though we've been overworking for these couples of days...

Fortunately, the novel flu seems to be not so strong. Patients are getting well now.I hope these "festivals" would finish as soon as possible, and we could return to routine works as before.

I got a call from a woman who has been feeding stray cats for 3years. She and her friend caught some of strays and spay/neuter them, but one of cats gave birth to some kittens in the box that her family made for the cat's house.
She wanted us to help catching the cats to spay her, and find new owners for kittens.So, we caught them by trap and brought to the shelter of Japan Cat Network.

The vet said that kittens are so tiny and they need mother's milk, so we should keep them together at least 3 weeks before spaying.But mother cat gets very nervous in the cage and warns us to protect the kittens.So my friend, the leader of NPO worries about they are OK for 3 weeks...

I sometimes wonder if it would be pity for mother cats to be caught by scary human, taken their kittens away and spayed not to get any more kittens...
But it's best way for both kittens and mother cats in future.

Anyway, mother is great!!!

We have the local festival from May 3rd to May 5th in our region every year.
I think the English term "Festival" doesn't explain exactly, so I call "MATSURI" in Japanese here.
Matsuri is held to please our local GODs, staying in the local shrine.Our local GODs guards us every day and promise plenty of rice harvest, our health and prevent from disaster.So we hold MATSURI every year to appreciate them.

The MATSURI in our region is so famous and it's on TV news every year.The first day, MIKOSHI(the vehicle for GODs) are raised on the top of the mountain, and let the GODs on the mountain get ride on it.The second day, which is supposed to be the main event of this MATSURI, people carry MIKOSHI down and bring in our village, with GODs.The third day, people walk around in the village with MIKOSHI, to show GODs our village.



To be honest,I don't like MATSURI at all.Because in our region, it's only the event for men.Men have a lot of roles for this MATSURI since they were born.They are selected as CHIGO(a child in the festival procession) when they grew up 5 or 6 years old.Then,they are allowed to participate procession at 10 years old.When boys grew up 16 years old, they are recognized as adults and begin to carry MIKOSHI.



Men drink alchol, sing and talk with friends.But we, women have nothing to do.We only arrange them to drink, stay home,and if hasbands called us to pick up them or something,we have to drive cars for them because they are drunk.

Even though it's Golden Week, long national holydays, why should we only stay home and do houseworks... :-(
I'm happy today MATSURI finished at last.But I have to go for work afternoon because of InfluenzaA, to answer calls from people who come back from thier trip to go abroad.
Sigh...

Today, I got a call from an woman who lives alone with 5 cats.
She said now she lost her job and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to feed her cats any more...
I told my friend of cat rescue NPO leader and decided to give her some cat food.
We went to her house.She lives in very old apartment, she said that it's been 100years sinse constructed.She really looked like poor, but her cats were all very cute and clean, looked like very healthy and happy with her.

She said she accepted stray cats that neighbors picked up here and there, and spay/nuterd all of them.
I know some people feed cats even though they don't have enough food for themselves.
Some people take cats to vet even though they don't go to doctor when they got sick.
Actually she is one of those kind of people, and I respect her.

I really hope all cats lovers and their cats would be happy together!

My friend works at Japanese NPO "Japan Cat network".
You can see her recent best shot here...please check it, too! ;-)

Maybe someone know I'm a worker of Public Health Center.
It's difficult to explain my job to others, even in Japanese.My main job is food hygine, animal control is a part of my job,too.
And, health promotion especially preventing infectious diseases is also our job.

Now, "Swine Flu" or we should say "Influenza A" is becoming a big problem worldwide,it's becoming very busy in our office.

Today, 20 people called us and asked, "I have a fever,what should I do?" "Should I give up to travel go abroad this weekend?" "My son traveled to Mexico 2 weeks ago, is he OK?" etc....

We haven't any swine flu patients in Japan for now, not at all!
I wonder how we would be busy if the flu patients were confirmed near here...
We have big national holydays from tomorrow to May 6th.
I'm afraid that many people would call us after traveling abroad in this holydays and ask "Are we OK?" even though they aren't sick at all.
That's terrible! :-(