1998 Winter Olympics flu epidemic

The outbreak

The flu outbreak spread across Japan, with many schools across the country were closed. Then-Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's wife, Kumiko, was hospitalized with the virus. Nearly 900,000 people were taken ill and at least 20 people, including 17 schoolchildren and three elderly people, died from complications of flu. Many athletes withdrew because of the flu, including Alexei Yagudin, who was infected. The flu even spread to 8,000 journalists covering the games. The Country's Television Channel apologized the viewers.