To deal with pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus, it is important to improve medical preparedness as well as provide appropriate information.
Two Japanese people in their 80s, a man and a woman who had been aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, were confirmed to have died. A mass infection occurred aboard the cruise ship. The two deaths raised the number of fatalities among people infected with the virus in Japan to three.
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the two people both had a continuously high fever and their breathing condition worsened after they were taken to hospitals. The man had asthma and other chronic diseases.
The ministry has released information such as on changes in their conditions and the presence or absence of chronic diseases apparently with the aim of preventing unnecessary anxiety.
Amid the spread of coronavirus infections in Japan, questions have been raised over how to handle information on infected people.
At the beginning of the virus outbreak, many local governments were cautious about disclosing such information. When a bus driver living in Nara Prefecture was confirmed to be infected, the prefectural government refrained from revealing places where the driver had visited or stayed. It seemed to be concerned about the possible harmful impact of such information.
On the other hand, some local governments have taken steps to disclose specific information. The Hokkaido government provided a wider scope of information on infected people, including their occupations and areas of residence.
Regarding a traveling route of a man infected with the virus, the Wakayama prefectural government even announced which train, car and seat the man had used.
Concern over infection with the virus is growing among the public. With due consideration given to the privacy of infected people, information that could provide clues to the routes of the infections should be disclosed appropriately.
What is important is for governments to also specifically inform the public about how infected patients are being treated and how they are recovering. The infected people living in Japan include some who have developed severe symptoms, but more than half have no symptoms or relatively mild symptoms. Many inpatients have already been discharged from hospitals.
The infectivity of the new coronavirus has not been determined medically, and no cure has been established. Therefore, it is essential to provide a wide range of information and data on the disease.
Those who receive the information are also urged to act calmly.
When a new strain of influenza broke out in 2009, a high school whose students and relevant others were infected one after another were inundated with calls and e-mails of protest and criticism. In some cases, people were refused taxi rides when they told drivers they wanted to go to the school.
In the latest case as well, local governments' inquiry sections have received calls asking for the names and addresses of people infected with the virus.
It is hoped that information should be used to help the public understand the disease correctly and prevent it instead of overreacting to it.
-- This article appeared in the print version of The Yomiuri Shimbun on Feb. 21, 2020.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
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