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NHK
a day ago
- Health
- NHK
Whooping cough cases in Japan hit new high for 4th straight week
Weekly cases of whooping cough in Japan have hit a new high for the fourth straight week. The Japan Institute for Health Security says medical institutions across the country reported 3,682 patients in the week through July 13. That was 104 more than in the previous week and the highest since the current method of recordkeeping began in 2018. By prefecture, Tokyo had the most, with 273 patients. It was followed by 236 in Saitama, 198 in Gunma, 175 in Kanagawa, 169 in Niigata, 167 in Ibaraki, 153 in Chiba and 152 in Hyogo. The cumulative number of patients so far this year stands at 48,073. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that affects mainly children and is characterized by severe persistent coughing. Infants can become seriously ill or die if infected. As of the end of June, at least four infants up to the age of four months have died in Tokyo and three other prefectures. Medical institutions in many regions have been reporting infections that are resistant to drugs. The Japan Pediatric Society is calling on parents to vaccinate their babies as soon as they are two months old.
NHK
15-07-2025
- Health
- NHK
Cases of whooping cough in Japan hit new high for 3rd straight week
Weekly cases of whooping cough in Japan have hit a new high for the third straight week. The infectious bacterial disease is characterized by severe, persistent coughing, and can be fatal for infants up to 6 months old. The Japan Institute for Health Security says 3,578 cases were reported from medical institutions across the nation in the week through July 6. That is up 225 from the previous week, and the highest since the current method of recordkeeping began in 2018. Tokyo had 277 cases. By prefecture, it was followed by 254 in Saitama, 176 in Gunma, 171 in Kanagawa, 165 each in Ibaraki and Hyogo, 154 in Chiba, and 150 in Niigata. The total number of cases for this year so far is 43,728. There have been reports this season of infants dying or falling seriously ill from whooping cough. At least four infants, between less than 1 month and 4 months old, had reportedly died by the end of June in Tokyo and three other prefectures. Medical institutions in many regions have reported infections involving drug-resistant bacteria. The Japan Pediatric Society is calling on parents to have infants vaccinated immediately after they turn 2 months old.
NHK
08-07-2025
- Health
- NHK
Weekly cases of whooping cough in Japan hit record high
Weekly cases of whooping cough have hit a record high in Japan. Whooping cough is an infectious bacterial disease characterized by severe, persistent coughing. It can be fatal, especially for infants up to six months old. The Japan Institute for Health Security says 3,353 cases were reported by medical institutions across the country in the week through June 29. The figure is up 142 from the previous week, and the highest since the current method of record keeping began in 2018. By prefecture, Tokyo had 234 cases, followed by 229 in Saitama, 163 in Kanagawa, 154 in Ibaraki and 140 in Niigata. The total number of cases in Japan this year stands at 39,672. There have been reports this season of infants dying or becoming seriously ill. Up to the end of June, four infants aged between less than one month and four months were confirmed dead in four prefectures. There are also reports of infections involving drug-resistant bacteria. The Japan Pediatric Society is calling on parents to immediately vaccinate infants who have turned two months old.
NHK
07-05-2025
- Health
- NHK
Whooping cough cases still surging in Japan
Whooping cough cases are continuing to surge in Japan. The Japan Institute for Health Security says medical institutions across the country reported 2,176 cases in the week through April 27, up 292 from the previous week. The number of patients per week was the highest since the current method of record keeping began in 2018. It broke the previous record for five weeks in a row. The cumulative number of patients since the start of the year was 11,921, more than double the total count last year. In a breakdown by prefecture, Tokyo and Fukuoka had 142 patients, Niigata had 132, Hyogo 110, and Osaka 105. Whooping cough is an infectious bacterial disease characterized by intense and persistent coughing, especially among children. It can be fatal for infants up to six months old. Amid the growing number of patients this season, cases have been reported of unvaccinated infants becoming severely ill or dying. There are also reports of cases that are resistant to conventional antibacterial drugs. The Japan Pediatric Society is urging parents to have their infants vaccinated as soon as they turn two months old.
Japan Times
14-04-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Whooping cough is spreading in Japan
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. With the infectious disease, caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis, believed to be spreading mainly among preschool children and elementary and junior high school students, experts have urged people to consider vaccinations. After the bacteria is transmitted through droplets from coughing or sneezing, patients display cold-like symptoms and then develop severe coughing. If an infant is infected, symptoms may become severe and life-threatening. Japan introduced a notifiable disease surveillance system for whooping cough in 2018. The annual total of whooping cough cases exceeded 10,000 in both 2018 and 2019. Whooping cough infections started to decrease in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, with the annual total of cases falling below 1,000 in 2021 and again in 2022. The total, however, then began to rise in 2023. In the week until March 30 this year, the number of whooping cough cases came to 578, the highest weekly figure since records started in 2018. Vaccination is effective for preventing infection. The combination of five types of vaccines, including one for whooping cough, is routinely offered at public expense and is administered four times between the ages of two months and 18 months. As the vaccine's effectiveness wanes over time, the Japan Pediatric Society recommends voluntary vaccinations for preschool children and older elementary school students. Antibiotics are used to treat whooping cough patients, with the bacteria expected to be almost completely eliminated after five days of treatment. Meanwhile, researchers have called attention to some cases of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains observed in Osaka and Tottori prefectures. "While we don't know the connection between the (antibiotic) resistant strains and the spread of the infection yet, the (whooping cough) outbreak may continue," said Motoi Suzuki, director of the Japan Institute for Health Security's infectious disease surveillance center. "The best preventive measure is getting vaccinated," Suzuki added.
