Measles "Outbreak" in Japan
I read a story on the NHK website that said Japan may be experiencing a measles outbreak, with the number of infected people this year higher than the totals reported in each of the last two years. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases reported that as of May 14th, there were seven cases of measles confirmed across Japan this year. You read that correctly - seven cases in 2023 as of the middle of May. Japan had six cases confirmed in 2021 and six cases in 2022. When I first read about a "measles outbreak" I expected to read hundreds of cases!
I realize measles is dangerous and highly contageous and am not making light of the disease. It is a viral infection that causes fever, coughing, and rashes. It can also trigger pneumonia or encephalitis, leading to serious illness or death.
I grew up before the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine was developed. When I was in second grade, I had measles, mumps, and chicken pox all in the same year, as did all of my classmates as well as the students in the other grades in my school. I guess that was considered an outbreak in my small town.
What about you? Did you have measles or any other childhood diseases?
5 comments:
My childhood predated all the vaccines, so I had all of the diseases: chicken pox, mumps and two different kinds of measles. But, thank goodness, not polio. Dot
Yes I did, I went into hospital with pneumonia and came home with measles, my mother was not happy!! Measles are on the increase here too. I was expecting much higher numbers, like you, in Japan!
I am also surprised that the expression 'outbreak' is used for fewer than ten cases, especially in a country with such a large population as Japan.
In my childhood, I had chicken pox, rubella and measles. I have never had mumps though and have to be careful not to catch it.
Hi Pamela: Measles was eradicated many years ago, now with so many coming over the border we have had many cases the last few years, the most cases are from the middle east and Nigeria.
I hope they can get it under control.
I had them when I was young way back in the early fifties.
have a wonderful day.
Catherine
When I was a child, the vaccine had already been around for some time, so I never got Measles or any of those other 'childhood' deseases (except for chicken pox, which wasn't routinely vaccinated for at that time). There were still a lot of children's books talking about those deseases in a kind of light hearted way though, so it took many years for me to realize how serious they can actually be!
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