Japan on Track to Log Highest Post-Pandemic Measles Cases

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan is on pace to log its highest annual measles cases this year since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 236 patients confirmed by early April compared with the post-pandemic full-year high of 265 marked last year. About half of patients are in the 10-29 age group, and the Japan Pediatric Society is calling on people to get vaccinated. People with measles experience symptoms similar to those of a cold about 10 days after infection, followed by a high fever and a rash. Almost all infected people without immunity develop symptoms, and the illness can lead to severe complications such as encephalitis and pneumonia. Japan was certified by the World Health Organization in 2015 as being free of indigenous measles viruses, but infections continue due to viruses brought from abroad. According to the WHO, the number of reported measles cases across the globe increased from around 60,000 in 2021 to approximately 360,000 in 2024, with outbreaks occurring in the United States, Africa and Southeast Asia in recent years. The Japan Institute for Health Security said that the largest number of annual patients in Japan in the past decade is 744 in 2019. The number fell sharply between 2020 and 2022, when border control measures were strengthened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but started to increase in and after 2023. The institute said the disease is continuing to spread due to viruses brought from abroad. Between January and early April this year, Tokyo had the highest number of patients among the country’s 47 prefectures, at 72, followed by Kagoshima in southwestern Japan, at 27, and Aichi in central Japan, at 23. People in the 10-19 age group accounted for 24 pct of the patients, and those in their 20s made up 28 pct. Half of the total patients were not fully vaccinated or had no known history of vaccination. The risk of developing measles symptoms and becoming seriously ill can be greatly reduced by two routine vaccinations–the first shot at the age of 1 and the second shot before entering elementary school. However, some people in their late 30s to 40s received only one regular vaccination and therefore do not have sufficient immunity. The JPS is urging people to check their vaccination records with their maternal and child health handbooks and to consider receiving shots if they are found to have been unvaccinated or have no known records, noting that some aged 10-29 may have not completed their routine vaccinations. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]