Situation on Dengue Fever and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever in The Western Pacific Region

Dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DF/DHF) is now recognized as one of the major public health problem in most of the countries in the Western Pacific Region (WPR) such as China, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and the South Pacific Countries. DF existed before World War II in the South-East Asia, however, the number of patients have increased steadily and in 1960s dengue virus infection have spread rapidly in Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa and Central and South-America. In the WPR, 28/35 countries and areas experienced DF/DHF outbreak in the past two decades. Case fatality rate become to low (0-3%) in every country now except Cambodia (3.6-12.4%), however, the number of cases have been increasing again and deaths are still reported every year. The forty-sixth World Health Assembly, WHO, in May 1993 called for global action to control DF/DHF. The Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) of WHO have supported DF/DHF prevention and control programme in the country, however, shortage of trained personal, facility and equipment for clinical and virological diagnosis is a major obstacle in most of the DF/DHF endemic countries

Regulatory Systems for Prevention and Control of Rabies, Japan

Japan’s systems provide an effective model for elimination of rabies worldwide

Electron Micro­scopic Studies on Retinochoroidal Atrophy in the Human Eye

Nine eyeballs were enucleated from nine patients with excessive myopia, secondary retinochoroidal atrophy, absolute glaucoma, uveal malignant melanoma, Behcet's disease and sympathetic ophthalmia. The retina and choroid were studied with light and electron microscopes. The results were: In excessive myopia, marked blockade of choriocapillaries was accompanied by progressive retinal degeneration. In secondary retinochoroidal atrophy induced by retrobulbar fibrosis, the choriocapillaries were partially blocked and the retina had markedly degenerated. In Behcet's disease, exudative inflammation was recognized in the choroid extending to the retina and causing retinal detachment, though the choriocapillaries remained morphologically normal. In sympathetic ophthalmia, both the choriocapillaries and the retina remained normal, though marked inflammation was recognized in the outer layer of the choroid. In absolute glaucoma, the fine structures of the choriocapillary were well preserved in spite of bulbar hypertonia. In uveal malignant melanoma, the ultra structure of the choriocapillary near the tumor was well preserved. The choriocapillaries were normal even when the retina had degenerated. Retinal degeneration was recognized when changes such as blockage, disappearance, dilatation and increased permeability were found in the choriocapillaries. Damage to the choriocapillaries might play an important role in inducing and developing retinochoroidal atrophy.</p

Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli, Japan, 1999–2004

In 1999, an infectious disease prevention law was enacted in Japan that affected the nationwide infectious surveillance system. A total of 19,304 laboratory-confirmed verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli cases were reported through 2004. The annual incidence was 2.74/100,000 population; its fluctuation over time and space was associated with climate, socioeconomic, and population factors

環境因子が健康に与える影響について インターネット調査;WDQH(Web-based Daily Questionnaire for Health)を利用した環境疫学調査

With increasing Internet coverage, the use of a web-based survey for epidemiological study is a possibility. We performed an investigation in Japan in winter 2008 using the web-based daily questionnaire for health (WDQH). The WDQH is a web-based questionnaire survey formulated to obtain information about the daily physical condition of the general public on a real-time basis, in order to study correlations between changes in physical health and changes in environmental factors. Respondents were asked whether they felt ill and had specific symptoms including fever. We analysed the environmental factors along with the health conditions obtained from the WDQH. Four factors were found to influence health: minimum temperature, hours of sunlight, median humidity and weekday or holiday. The WDQH allowed a daily health survey in the general population in real time via the Internet.博士（医学）・甲第593号・平成24年11月27日© 2013 Taylor & Francis Grou

The Association Between Documentation of Koplik Spots and Laboratory Diagnosis of Measles and Other Rash Diseases in a National Measles Surveillance Program in Japan

Koplik spots are considered a disease-specific sign for measles, although comprehensive virological studies have not been conducted to date. In Japan, a national survey of 3023 measles and measles-suspected cases was conducted between 2009 and 2014 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) to detect various rash/fever-associated viruses. Koplik spots were observed in 717 of 3023 cases (23.7%). Among these, the measles virus was detected in 202 cases (28.2%), while the rubella virus was detected in 125 cases (17.4%). Other viruses were detected in 51 cases having the spots (7.1%). In some of the cases with spots, two or three viruses, such as the rubella virus, parvovirus, and human herpesvirus type 6 were also detected. The sensitivity and specificity of Koplik spots as a diagnostic marker for measles were 48 and 80%, respectively. The results suggested that Koplik spots might appear not only in measles but also in other viral infections, such as rubella, as a clinical sign

Divergent ancestral lineages of newfound hantaviruses harbored by phylogenetically related crocidurine shrew species in Korea

AbstractSpurred by the recent isolation of a novel hantavirus, named Imjin virus (MJNV), from the Ussuri white-toothed shrew (Crocidura lasiura), targeted trapping was conducted for the phylogenetically related Asian lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura shantungensis). Pair-wise alignment and comparison of the S, M and L segments of a newfound hantavirus, designated Jeju virus (JJUV), indicated remarkably low nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarity with MJNV. Phylogenetic analyses, using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods, showed divergent ancestral lineages for JJUV and MJNV, despite the close phylogenetic relationship of their reservoir soricid hosts. Also, no evidence of host switching was apparent in tanglegrams, generated by TreeMap 2.0β

Social contacts, vaccination decisions and influenza in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Contact patterns and vaccination decisions are fundamental to transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. We report on age-specific contact patterns in Japan and their effect on influenza vaccination behaviour. METHODS: Japanese adults (N=3146) were surveyed in Spring 2011 to assess the number of their social contacts within a 24 h period, defined as face-to-face conversations within 2 m, and gain insight into their influenza-related behaviour. We analysed the duration and location of contacts according to age. Additionally, we analysed the probability of vaccination and influenza infection in relation to the number of contacts controlling for individual's characteristics. RESULTS: The mean and median reported numbers of daily contacts were 15.3 and 12.0, respectively. School-aged children and young adults reported the greatest number of daily contacts, and individuals had the most contacts with those in the same age group. The age-specific contact patterns were different between men and women, and differed between weekdays and weekends. Children had fewer contacts between the same age groups during weekends than during weekdays, due to reduced contacts at school. The probability of vaccination increased with the number of contacts, controlling for age and household size. Influenza infection among unvaccinated individuals was higher than for those vaccinated, and increased with the number of contacts. CONCLUSIONS: Contact patterns in Japan are age and gender specific. These contact patterns, as well as their interplay with vaccination decisions and infection risks, can help inform the parameterisation of mathematical models of disease transmission and the design of public health policies, to control disease transmission