hand, foot and mouth disease in japan continued to spread in september, and related indicators reached the highest level in nearly 10 years
2024-09-26
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xinhua news agency, beijing, september 26th. as september begins, hand, foot and mouth disease, which is prevalent in japan in summer, continues to be prevalent, and the average number of patients admitted to medical institutions in a single week is the highest in the same period in the past 10 years.
according to the latest data released by the national institute of infectious diseases, cited by japanese media on the 25th, from september 9 to 15, japan had more than 25,000 new cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, an increase for four consecutive weeks. the average number of patients admitted to about 3,000 designated medical institutions across the country was more than 8, more than five times the same period last year, setting a record high in the past 10 years.
people walk through the intersection in front of shibuya station in tokyo, japan, on november 15, 2023. photo by xinhua news agency reporter zhang xiaoyu
according to japanese media, hand, foot and mouth disease used to be prevalent in the summer, and the number of patients tended to decrease after september. however, since september this year, the number of hand, foot and mouth disease patients in japan has continued to increase, which is relatively rare.
the latest data shows that among japan's 47 prefectures, the number of hand, foot and mouth disease patients admitted to designated medical institutions exceeds the warning value in 36, including tokyo, and the situation in toyama prefecture is the most serious.
this is an ana passenger plane photographed at tokyo haneda airport in japan on august 16. photo by xinhua news agency reporter zhang xiaoyu
hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease caused by a variety of enteroviruses. children aged 5 and under are the most susceptible group. patients develop small blisters or ulcers on their hands, feet, mouths, etc., and experience mouth pain, anorexia, and low fever. this disease is mainly transmitted through the gastrointestinal tract, that is, the fecal-oral route, and can also be transmitted through the respiratory tract by droplets, coughing, sneezing, etc., or through contact with oral and nasal secretions, skin or mucous membrane herpes fluid, and contaminated hands and objects.
there is no specific medicine for hand, foot and mouth disease. susceptible people can prevent the disease through vaccination. in addition, they should wash their hands frequently, drink clean water, avoid eating raw food, exercise more, open windows for ventilation, and avoid crowded places. (zhang jing)
source: xinhua news agency client
