1.Ongoing increase in measles cases following importations, Japan, March 2014: times of challenge and opportunity
Takuri Takahashi ; Yuzo Arima ; Hitomi Kinoshita ; Kazuhiko Kanou ; Takehito Saitoh ; Tomimasa Sunagawa ; Hiroaki Ito ; Atsuhiro Kanayama ; AyakoTabuchi ; Kazutoshi Nakashima ; Yuichiro Yahata ; Takuya Yamagishi ; Tamie Sugawara ; Yasushi Ohkusa ; Tamano Matsui ; Satoru Arai ; Hiroshi Satoh ; Keiko Tanaka-Taya ; Katsuhiro Komase ; Makoto Takeda ; Kazunori Oishi
Western Pacific Surveillance and Response 2014;5(2):31-33
Since late 2013 through March 2014, Japan experienced a rapid rise in measles cases. Here, we briefly report on the ongoing situation and share preliminarily findings, concerns and challenges and the public health actions needed over the coming months and years.
Measles is a notifiable disease in Japan based on nationwide case-based surveillance legally requiring physicians to report all clinically diagnosed and laboratory-confirmed cases within seven days, but preferably within 24 hours. After a large outbreak in 2007–2008 (more than 11 000 cases reported in 2008 alone) and a goal of elimination by April 2015, a catch-up programme using the bivalent measles-rubella (MR) vaccine was offered for grades seven and 12 (ages 12–13 and 17–18 years) from April 2008 through March 2013. During this period, there was an estimated 97% decline in measles notifications, and the cumulative number of reported cases has been steadily declining over the last five years (732 cases in 2009, 447 cases in 2010, 439 cases in 2011, 293 cases in 2012 and 232 cases in 2013). However, since late 2013 through March 2014, the country experienced a resurgence only a year after a large rubella outbreak.
2.Exposure to H1 genotype measles virus at an international airport in Japan on 31 July 2016 results in a measles outbreak
Aika Watanabe ; Yusuke Kobayashi ; Tomoe Shimada ; Yuichiro Yahata ; Ayako Kobayashi ; Mizue Kanai ; Yushi Hachisu ; Munehisa Fukusumi ; Hajime Kamiya ; Takuri Takahashi ; Yuzo Arima ; Hitomi Kinoshita ; Kazuhiko Kanou ; Takehito Saitoh ; Satoru Arai ; Hiroshi Satoh ; Hideo Okuno ; Saeko Morino ; Tamano Matsui ; Tomimasa Sunagawa ; Keiko Tanaka-Taya ; Makoto Takeda ; Katsuhiro Komase ; Kazunori Oishi
Western Pacific Surveillance and Response 2017;8(1):37-39
3.Letter to the Editor: Pathogens detected from patients with acute respiratory infections negative for SARS-CoV-2, Saitama, Japan, 2020
Yuzo Arima ; Yuuki Tsuchihashi ; Osamu Takahara ; Reiko Shimbashi ; Takeshi Arashiro ; Ayu Kasamatsu ; Yusuke Kobayashi ; Katsuhiro Komase ; Takuri Takahashi ; Kanako Otani ; Fangyu Yan ; Taro Kamigaki ; Kiyosu Taniguchi ; Motoi Suzuki
Western Pacific Surveillance and Response 2024;15(1):78-79
Utilizing data presented in the article by Miyashita et al., we illustrate the importance of testing data when assessing surveillance data. Accounting for the number of tests (denominator) and positivity (proportion of tests positive for a specific pathogen(s)) improves data interpretation in ways not possible from numerator case data alone.
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