A child is tested for the flu at a hospital in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The Japan Medical Association (JMA) urged doctors to avoid conducting fast diagnostic testing for influenza to prevent being infected by patients carrying the new coronavirus.

The recommendation by the doctors group came in a notice issued on March 11 to local medical associations across the country.

The advice was provided after a doctor in Hokkaido tested positive for the coronavirus after carrying out diagnostic testing for flu on a patient who had contracted the virus.

The JMA said doctors could be at risk of inhaling droplets exhaled by an infected patient during diagnostic testing for influenza. The notice said doctors should check patients for flu only by examining their symptoms.

“It’s important to gain the understanding of patients on why the flu tests are not being conducted by providing a thorough explanation about the risk of infecting doctors with the coronavirus,” a JMA official said.