The 1998 Winter Olympics flu epidemic was a flu outbreak that occurred during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.[citation needed]

The outbreak

The flu outbreak spread across Japan, with many schools across the country being closed. Then-Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's wife, Kumiko, was hospitalized with the virus. Nearly 900,000 people became ill and at least 20 people, including 17 schoolchildren and three elderly people, died due to the flu virus.[1] Many athletes withdrew because of the flu, including Alexei Yagudin, who was infected.[2]

References

  1. ^ Sullivan, Kevin (19 February 1998). "THE FLU PLAGUES OLYMPICS". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Alexei Yagudin - 2010 Winter Olympics - Olympic Athletes - Vancouver, Canada". ESPN.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018.


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