Japan's new health institute gives first acute respiratory infection cases tally
The number of new acute respiratory infection, or ARI, cases reported at some 3,000 designated medical institutions across Japan was 181,270 in the week through April 13, a new national institute said Tuesday.
This was the first tally of such 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 swiftly detect unknown illnesses by monitoring ARI cases on a regular basis.
According to the Japan Institute for Health Security, created this month by integrating the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 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.
Health minister Takamaro Fukuoka told a news conference Tuesday that his ministry aims to warn against infectious diseases early and take appropriate measures.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Brain-Dead Organ Donors Hit Record High in Fy2024; Only 1 in 3 Relevant Institutions Have Experience in Organ Donation
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Takamaro Fukuoka The number of patients declared brain dead who donated at least one organ rose to a record 139 in fiscal 2024, up 23 from the previous fiscal year, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Takamaro Fukuoka said at the House of Councillors' Health, Labor and Welfare Committee on Tuesday. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry partly attributes this rise to an initiative supporting medical institutions with limited experience in organ donation. A record high has been marked for three consecutive years. A single brain-dead donor can provide up to seven organs. From the 139 patients, there were 119 liver donations, 116 for hearts, 115 for kidneys, 106 for lungs, 55 for corneas, 46 for pancreases and two small intestine donations. As of the end of fiscal 2024, the cumulative number of such donors was 1,181 since the Organ Transplants Law came into force in 1997. Meanwhile, the number of patients whose organs were donated after circulatory death in fiscal 2024 was nine, down six from the previous fiscal year. Of about 900 medical institutions nationwide capable of organ donation, only about one-third have actual experience. Currently, a ministry-organized program is in place in which 31 medical institutions across the country experienced in organ donation advise nearby institutions lacking such experience. 'Through receiving instruction, medical institutions that lack confidence are gradually engaging in organ donation efforts,' a ministry official said.
07-05-2025
Japan Preparing for Future Pandemics
News from Japan Society May 7, 2025 17:44 (JST) Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government has been taking steps to prepare for future pandemics since it downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk category of infectious diseases that includes influenza two years ago. "We'll work to strengthen our health crisis management system by bringing together various forms of knowledge and powers," Norihiro Kokudo, who heads the Japan Institute for Health Security, said at its inaugural ceremony in April. JIHS, created through the merger of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, promotes research on infectious diseases, from the basics to clinical practice. It provides advice to the government and the public. Following the COVID downgrade in May 2023, the government established the Cabinet Agency for Infectious Disease Crisis Management, which coordinates with other government agencies on measures against infectious diseases, in September that year. The health ministry has set up an organization to tackle infectious diseases. In July 2024, the government updated its action plan for dealing with outbreaks of serious infectious diseases. The new plan puts priority on preparations, including information gathering and research on vaccines and treatments. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Yomiuri Shimbun
04-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
New Pandemic Response Institute Aims to Achieve Swift Initial Reaction Through Stronger Information Collection System
The Yomiuri Shimbun The building of the Japan Institute for Health Security in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, which was established in April One month since the launch of the Japan Institute for Health Security (JIHS), a new organization of experts meant to prepare for the next infectious disease crisis in Japan, new initiatives have been started based on lessons learned from delays in the response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts include strengthening information gathering on infectious diseases. In order to realize a prompt initial response to emergencies, it is essential to build a system of close cooperation with local governments and hospitals nationwide from normal times and continue to thoroughly disseminate information to the public. 'Experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the importance of preparedness. We will be able to respond immediately to the next pandemic, no matter when it occurs,' said JIHS President Norihiro Kokudo. The JIHS was formed through the merger of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, which has been responsible for research and trend surveys on infectious diseases, and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, which runs a general hospital. There are about 3,900 staff members at the JIHS, including doctors and researchers who are involved in matters from basic research on pathogens to treatment of patients in an integrated manner. To support government decision-making, the JIHS provides scientific knowledge to the Cabinet Agency for Infectious Disease Crisis Management, which serves as the command center for the government's infectious disease response, and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. On April 7, the JIHS began a fixed-point survey of acute respiratory infections (ARI). Before the start of the JIHS, medical institutions reported the number of patients for known pathogens, such as influenza. But in the ARI survey, the JIHS focuses on cold-like symptoms, such as cough and sore throat, and collects information on outbreaks. By monitoring trends in the number of patients suspected of carrying infectious diseases whose pathogens are not yet known, the JIHS aims to quickly detect the spread of unknown infectious diseases through testing to speed up the initial response. Improving efficiency The JIHS will strengthen emergency surveys conducted immediately after the outbreak of a new virus or another disease is confirmed, which is called the 'first few hundred' studies. It is intended to analyze medical examination information, blood, nasal membrane and other patient data to quickly determine the characteristics of pathogens, including infectivity, infection routes, symptoms and severity. Based on this, the government will decide on infection control measures, such as the length of isolation of patients. Emergency surveys were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic as well. But, since there was no network of medical institutions to collect patient information, there was nothing to rely on besides the personal connections of researchers. Norio Omagari, head of the infectious disease clinical policy division of the JIHS, said, 'We'd like to promote the establishment of a close cooperation system among medical institutions during ordinary times to ensure surveys can be conducted promptly and reliably, and to efficiently consolidate information through digitalization.' Compared to Europe and the United States, Japan lagged behind in the development of vaccines and therapeutic agents for COVID-19. However, as the JIHS has both research and hospital functions, it will be possible to immediately confirm the effectiveness of candidate drugs found by research sections at the hospital that also accepts patients. Start in ordinary times In the two years since COVID-19 symptoms were classified as Category V under the Infectious Diseases Control Law in May 2023, influenza and various other infectious diseases have continued to spread. This spring has also seen a sharp increase in both whooping cough cases, with continuous severe coughing as a symptom, and measles, which is highly contagious. The JIHS will begin disseminating information to the general public on these familiar infectious diseases from as early as May. Their characteristics and precautions against them will be briefly summarized and made available on its website. Nobuhiko Okabe, advisor at the Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health who served as a member of the government's subcommittee on measures against COVID-19, said, 'If we communicate well with the public and gain their trust, they will carefully listen to our advice in case of an emergency.' During the pandemic, experts who advised the government repeatedly held press conferences and directly called on the public to take measures. Izuru Makihara, a professor of public administration at the University of Tokyo, said, 'The reason behind this is that the government and public administrations did not fully accept the sense of urgency felt by experts.' Based on this, he added, 'It is essential for the government and the JIHS to communicate well on a daily basis to clarify their respective roles in order to avoid confusion in the event of an emergency.'
