Measures should be thoroughly implemented against infectious diseases brought in by visitors to Japan.
Measles is raging in Okinawa Prefecture, which is visited by a large number of foreign nationals. The latest situation was triggered by a man from Taiwan who entered Japan having developed a fever following his travel in Thailand. Measles spread among people who used the tourist facilities that the man visited, with the number of infected people reaching as high as 90 as of Thursday.
Measles has affected Aichi Prefecture as well. It spread from a male teenager who was infected with the measles in Okinawa Prefecture to hospital staff in Nagoya, and then among patients at the hospital and others.
The Okinawa prefectural government has called on people to be watchful regarding the disease on its website. It has stated that it is risky for pregnant women or infants aged under 1 to visit the prefecture. This is an unusual measure taken during the tourist period. But it is unavoidable in order to prevent the disease from spreading further.
Measles is highly contagious. A person can be infected merely by breathing air contaminated by the virus. Infection cannot be prevented by wearing a mask.
For each person who has developed symptoms of the measles, as many as about nine to 16 others can be infected. The comparable figure for the flu is only about two people. This time, too, secondary and tertiary cases of infection have occurred.
Nor can the symptoms of measles be made light of. Symptoms similar to those of a cold will develop 10-12 days after exposure to an infected person, and a fever will develop. Later, a rash will appear all over the body, with a high fever continuing for several more days.
When a person develops brain inflammation as a result of a measles infection, it may cause long-term damage such as paralysis. There have also been such cases as brain inflammation developing several years to ten-plus years after an infection. Even in developed countries with advanced medicine, about one in every 1,000 infected people dies.
Stable vaccine supply vital
The only preventive measure is vaccination. To gain definite immunity against the disease, two doses of vaccine are recommended. There are cases in which only one dose of vaccine will not provide sufficient immunization.
People who were not given periodic vaccinations, for instance, during their childhood, or people who have not been previously infected with measles and are uncertain whether they have been vaccinated, should consider getting vaccinated.
In Japan, the number of measles patients once topped 200,000. To strengthen counter-measures, a two-dose standard vaccination covering infants and the like was introduced in 2006. Thanks to this, the number of measles patients declined markedly.
In 2015, the World Health Organization verified that Japan had eliminated measles, meaning that the indigenous measles virus does not exist.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is negative about the possibility of the measles spreading widely this time. Should the ministry fail to take relevant measures, however, the situation surrounding the disease may return to what it was before measles was eliminated.
Demand for the vaccine has risen amid news reports of "measles raging again." The health ministry should take care to ensure a stable supply of the vaccine.
Not only the measles but also other infectious diseases, such as dengue fever, Zika fever and malaria, have been occurring frequently in the world. In the present day, when people actively come and go across national borders, the risk of pathogens entering the country has certainly grown.
Everyone needs to be aware of the risk of being infected. The government should do its utmost in conducting operations to prevent the virus from entering the country at such places as airports.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 6, 2018)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
