Japan has entered the influenza season nationwide, marking the second-earliest beginning in the past 20 years, the health ministry said Friday. The number of flu patients reported from some 3,000 regularly monitored medical institutions across the country stood at 1.04 per institution in the week through Sunday.
Japan confirmed 994 new cases of HIV infection and AIDS in 2024, up 34 from the previous year and marking the second consecutive annual increase, the health ministry said Friday. The tally included 662 new HIV carriers, down seven, and 332 new AIDS patients, up 41. Sexual contact remained the leading transmission route, with 417 HIV and 170 AIDS cases. By age, people in their 30s accounted for the most HIV infections at 210, followed by those in their 20s at 208, while among AIDS patients, those 50 and older made up the largest group with 106 cases, followed by people in their 40s with 85.
The number of people diagnosed with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, or SFTS, a tick-borne viral disease, in Japan this year totaled 135 as of Aug. 10, marking a record high, according to data from the Japan Institute for Health Security. The previous record high was 134 cases in 2023. If infected, the disease can cause symptoms, including fever and abdominal pain, after an incubation period of six to 14 days.
Japan introduced mandatory pre-arrival tuberculosis screening on Monday for people planning to stay over three months, starting with those from the Philippines and Nepal, a government official said.
Vietnam is expected to be added to the list in September, with Indonesia, Myanmar and China to follow.
The number of foreign nationals diagnosed with the infectious disease while in Japan is on the rise, and they are comprised mostly of people from the six countries, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. While tuberculosis is curable and preventable, it killed an estimated 1.25 million people in 2023 and has likely regained its status as the world’s deadliest infectious disease after being temporarily overtaken by COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization.
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. 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.
Whooping cough has swept across Japan, with the number of cases reported so far this year exceeding that of the entire year of 2024. From the beginning of this year to March 30, the cumulative number of whooping cough patients reported by medical institutions nationwide was 4,771, exceeding 4,054 cases reported in the 12 months of 2024.
Japanese agriculture minister Taku Eto said Monday that the country is in an unusual situation over the current spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. “The situation has become unusual,” Eto told an emergency meeting of prefectural governments and industry groups on the day. This month alone, there have been 23 outbreaks, resulting in the culling of about 4.18 million birds. This has already surpassed the 19 outbreaks in January of the 2022-2023 season, which was the country’s worst bird flu season on record. In January of that season, 4.63 million birds were destroyed.
The Aichi prefectural government said Sunday that outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been confirmed at three chicken farms and a quail farm in the central Japan prefecture. The prefectural government of Chiba, east of Tokyo, the same day announced avian flu cases at three chicken farms in the cities of Choshi and Asahi.
As influenza and COVID-19 infections spread, facilities for people with disabilities are also struggling to respond. Facilities for people with severe intellectual disabilities have found it difficult to take precautions, and there have been cases of infections spreading among users and staff.
As Japan marks five years on Wednesday since its first confirmed case of COVID-19, government data show that over 70 million people in the country are estimated to have contracted the virus as of March last year, while total deaths stood at 130,000 as of last August. While yearly deaths have declined since peaking during the Omicron variant surge in 2022, fatalities remain significantly higher than for influenza, with the virus continuing to spread seasonally in summer and winter.
Barrier Free Japan