Japan Reports 1st Tally of Acute Respiratory Infection Cases

From Jiji

April 22 2025

TOKYO – The number of new cases of acute respiratory infection, or ARI, reported at some 3,000 designated medical institutions across Japan was 181,270 in the week through April 13, a national institute said Tuesday. 
   This was the first tally of ARI cases since ARI, a general term for cold and other symptoms, was designated as a Category V disease under the infectious diseases control law.
   The government aims to detect unknown illnesses swiftly by monitoring ARI cases on a regular basis.
   According to the Japan Institute for Health Security, the number of ARI patients per medical institution in the reporting week stood at 49.39. By prefecture, Tochigi logged the highest figure, at 94.13, and Kochi posted the lowest figure, at 27.37.
   The number of ARI patients will be released every Tuesday, and the overview of the ARI situation in Japan will be updated every Friday.