Latest news with #NIID
South China Morning Post
17-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Fatal virus fears rise in Japan after first suspected animal-to-human SFTS death
Japan 's veterinarian association has urged members to step up precautions against the potentially deadly severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus , after what is believed to be the country's first case of a veterinarian dying from suspected animal-to-human transmission. The vet, who has not been named, developed symptoms of the virus after treating a cat at his practice in Mie prefecture in May, an official of the Japan Veterinary Medical Association (JVMA) confirmed. The vet was hospitalised but died a few days later. Puzzlingly, an autopsy did not find the telltale tick bite that typically transmits the virus, while the cat's owner and other staff at the clinic have not displayed any symptoms. 'We are still not absolutely sure how this infection happened and the ministry of health is working with prefectural authorities to determine all the details,' said Daisuke Tsukamoto, a spokesman for the JVMA. 'We have been working with our members in Mie prefecture to try to find out more, and we quickly issued an alert to our members to share as much information about SFTS and how to avoid being infected,' he told This Week in Asia. A veterinary surgeon holds a bobtail cat at his practice in Tokyo. Veterinarians have been advised on what to look out for in infected animals and the precautions they should take to avoid being bitten by a tick. Photo: AP The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) – a research institute affiliated with Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare – has also issued a 17-page report for veterinarians detailing what to look out for in infected animals, the precautions that should be taken to avoid being bitten by a tick, the dangers of exposure to fluids from an infected animal and the safest way to dispose of a dead animal.
Yomiuri Shimbun
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Common Cold Classified as Category V: Be Prepared for Emergence of New Infectious Diseases
It may be possible that a new infectious disease may be lurking within the symptoms of the common cold that everyone has experienced, such as coughing and a sore throat. It is essential to collect detailed information from medical facilities and contain the spread of infection. Fixed-point surveillance of the number of patients who were treated by doctors with common cold symptoms began on April 7. This move followed the government's decision last year to categorize all infections with cold-like symptoms as 'acute respiratory infections' and classified them as Category V under the Infectious Diseases Law. About 3,000 medical institutions designated for the surveillance will now report patient numbers and other information to public health centers. Medical institutions have previously reported patient numbers separately for specific pathogens such as seasonal influenza and the novel coronavirus. Patients with cold symptoms whose pathogens were not determined through testing were not included in such reports. This made it difficult to determine whether new infectious diseases were emerging, causing countermeasures to be delayed. Therefore, it was decided to collect a wide range of information on the occurrence of general cold symptoms. Nasal or throat mucus from some of these patients will be collected as samples for pathogen analysis. A system to quickly identify new infectious diseases based on the data obtained should be established. Information on infectious diseases had been reported to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) through facilities such as public health centers. However, starting this fiscal year, the process has been consolidated at the Japan Institute for Health Security, which was formed by merging the NIID and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine. The new institute is responsible for advising the government on the spread of infectious diseases. Information on infection trends should be made available to the public without delay. Even though the common cold has been classified as a Category V infectious disease under the law, there will be no restrictions on going to work or school, unlike for influenza or COVID-19. The government should carefully provide explanations to avoid misunderstandings. In addition to the common cold, there has been a rapid spread of whooping cough, a disease marked by severe coughing that lasts for a long time. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that can cause severe complications in infants, including pneumonia and encephalitis. Infections primarily spread through airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing. Vaccinations are routinely administered to infants and small children, and they should be vaccinated promptly. If a person is infected, treatment with antibiotics is available, so it is important to seek medical treatment quickly. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many people likely have come to realize the importance of basic preventive measures such as handwashing. It is essential that each individual remains vigilant about information on infectious diseases and examines their preventive measures. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 20, 2025)
Japan Times
01-04-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Japanese version of U.S. CDC launched for future pandemics
The Japan Institute for Health Security, modeled on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was launched Tuesday to prepare for future infectious disease crises. The institute was created through the merge of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, or NIID, and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, or NCGM. It will be responsible for information analysis, research and crisis response related to infectious diseases. Legislation to set up the new body was enacted during the ordinary parliamentary session in 2023, based on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, in which Japan was unable to act quickly, including in developing vaccines and drugs. Norihiro Kokudo, who was president of the NCGM, became the first head of the new institute, while Takaji Wakita, who was director-general of the NIID, assumed the post of deputy head. The new institute, whose abbreviated name is JIHS, will collect information on infectious diseases and conduct risk assessments in normal times while reporting scientific findings to the government. In the event of an infectious disease outbreak, it will work with the government to develop drugs and vaccines and draw up guidelines for medical treatment.
