(RepublicanDaily.org) – Japan is suffering a mysterious surge in a potentially deadly variant of the strep throat bacteria, with government health officials urging citizens to take preventive measures to prevent the further spread of the extremely infectious illness.
Authorities report that the incidence of strep throat infections in Tokyo, the country’s most densely populated city, are three times higher this year compared to the previous year. With a population of a whopping 37 million, the Japanese capital is considered to be the most populous city in the world.
The infections however, are not confined to the Tokyo area alone. An earlier report from Japan’s health ministry indicates that throat infections stemming from the streptococcus bacteria around the country are being reported at four times the pace compared to the past five years.
As of press time, Japanese health authorities said that it has recorded 474 cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, a deadlier variant of the typical strep infection. While the common bacterial illness is restricted to the throat, the more dangerous infection spreads to a patient’s entire body and has a 30% fatality rate.
Researches and health officials are still in the dark as to the cause of the rise in infections, with the country’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) saying that the situation is still filled with “many unknown factors.” The NIID also said that “we are not at the stage where we can explain” the increased incidence of the deadlier strep infections in the country.
However, health experts, such as Hitoshi Honda, who teaches on infectious diseases at Japan’s Fujita Health University, say that unlike other respiratory infections such as the Coronavirus, which are instead viral in nature, the disease is unlikely to cause a situation anywhere near 2020 pandemic levels. Honda also added that strep infections are “droplet infections,” stressing that hand hygiene will play a large part in preventing the spread of the disease.
Copyright 2024, RepublicanDaily.org
