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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has rapidly led to a global pandemic (1). Globally, accurate figures on deaths caused [...]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to be a major global health burden. This study aims to estimate the all-cause excess mortality occurring in the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan, 2020, by sex and age group.Methods: Daily time series of mortality for the period January 2015-December 2020 in all 47 prefectures of Japan were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. A two-stage interrupted time-series design was used to calculate excess mortality. In the first stage, we estimated excess mortality by prefecture using quasi-Poisson regression models in combination with distributed lag non-linear models, adjusting for seasonal and long-term variations, weather conditions and influenza activity. In the second stage, we used a random-effects multivariate meta-analysis to synthesize prefecture-specific estimates at the nationwide level.Results: In 2020, we estimated an all-cause excess mortality of -20 982 deaths [95% empirical confidence intervals (eCI): -38 367 to -5472] in Japan, which corresponded to a percentage excess of -1.7% (95% eCI: -3.1 to -0.5) relative to the expected value. Reduced deaths were observed for both sexes and in all age groups except those aged <60 and 70-79 years.Conclusions: All-cause mortality during the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan in 2020 was decreased compared with a historical baseline. Further evaluation of cause-specific excess mortality is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, the increase in congenital syphilis (CS) notifications has become a public health concern. We conducted a case series study to describe the characteristics of CS patients and their mothers. Of the 13 mothers who consented to participate, seven had regular prenatal care visits, including four who had tested negative at their first trimester syphilis screening. Only three mothers noted that their partners were tested, with all three partners being diagnosed with syphilis. Raising awareness for syphilis prevention during pregnancy, partner testing, and considering additional syphilis testing at the third trimester of pregnancy during times of increased syphilis prevalence is imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is an important cause of gastroenteritis in Japan. Although non-O157 EHEC infections have been increasingly reported worldwide, their impact on children has not been well described.Methods: We collected national surveillance data of EHEC infections reported between 2010 and 2013 in Japan and characterized outbreaks that occurred in childcare facilities. Per Japanese outbreak investigation protocol, faecal samples from contacts of EHEC cases were collected regardless of symptomatic status. Cases and outbreaks were described by demographics, dates of diagnosis and onset, clinical manifestations, laboratory data, and relation to specific outbreaks in childcare facilities.Results: During 2010-2013, a total of 68 EHEC outbreaks comprised of 1035 cases were related to childcare facilities. Among the 66 outbreaks caused by a single serogroup, 29 were serogroup O26 and 22 were O157; 35 outbreaks were caused by stx1-producing strains. Since 2010, the number of reported outbreaks steadily increased, with a rise in cases and outbreaks caused by stx1-producing O26. Of 7069 EHEC cases reported nationally in 2010-2011, the majority were caused by O157 (n = 4938), relative to O26 (n = 1353) and O111 (n = 195). However, relative to 69 cases of O157 (2%) associated with childcare facility EHEC outbreaks, there were 131 (10%) such cases of O26, and this trend intensified in 2012-2013 (O157, 3%; O26, 24%; O111, 48%). Among family members of childcare facility cases, the proportion of cases that were symptomatic declined with age; 10/16 cases (63%) aged 6 years or younger, 16/53 cases (30%) 6-19 years old, 23/120 cases (19%) 20-49 years old and 2/28 cases (7%) 50 years or older were symptomatic. Thirty one of the 68 outbreaks (46%) were classified as foodborne-related.Conclusions: Childcare facility EHEC outbreaks due to non-O157 serogroups, particularly O26 and O111, increased during 2010-2013. These facilities should pay extra attention to health conditions in children. As older family members of childcare facility cases appear to be less symptomatic, they should be vigilant about hand-washing to prevent further transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Japan, as elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the notification trends of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Here, we describe the epidemiological trends of RSV cases among children reported during 2018-2021 in Japan, based on the national surveillance system. Compared to 2018 and 2019, 2020 saw an unprecedented decrease in RSV notifications per sentinel site. However, 2021 experienced an unseasonably early and high peak in week 28 (peak week in 2018 and 2019: week 37) with a large resurgence in notifications, nationwide and across regions. Regarding age, compared to 2018 and 2019, the number and proportion of cases aged 2, 3, and ≥4-years increased substantially in 2021 but the number of cases aged <1 year decreased slightly. Furthermore, in 2021, the ratio of notifications per site from outpatient clinics to hospitals increased, suggesting a proportionate increase in clinically milder case diagnoses. Notably, RSV-attributed deaths from vital statistics also dropped substantially in 2020 and rebounded in 2021, but were fewer than in 2018 or 2019. While RSV incidence likely declined in 2020 (possibly from COVID-19 countermeasures) and increased in 2021, notifications in 2021 appeared to be associated with milder presentations. Given unpredictable RSV epidemiology, continuous monitoring and pluralistic assessments are imperative.

Background: Little is known about the trends of imported infectious diseases among travelers to non-endemic countries during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This article aimed to describe those among travelers to Japan., Methods: This is a descriptive study based on national surveillance data. Imported infectious disease cases were defined as those with a reported overseas source of infection among 15 diseases pre-selected based on the probability and impact of importation. The number of notified cases from April 2016 to March 2021 were described by disease and time of diagnosis. The relative ratio and absolute difference in case counts-both by number and per arrival-were calculated by disease comparing those from the pandemic period (April 2020-March 2021) to the pre-pandemic period (April 2016-March 2020)., Results: A total of 3,524 imported infectious disease cases were diagnosed during the study period, including 3,439 cases before and 85 cases during the pandemic. The proportionate distribution of diseases changed but notification counts of all 15 diseases decreased during the pandemic. Accounting for arrivals, however, seven diseases showed a two-fold or greater increase, with a notable absolute increase per million arrivals for amebiasis (60.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 41.5-78.7), malaria (21.7; 95% CI, 10.5-33.0), and typhoid fever (9.3; 95% CI, 1.9-16.8)., Conclusion: The epidemiology of imported infectious diseases changed during the pandemic. While the number of imported infectious disease cases decreased, the number of cases per arrivals increased considerably both in relative and absolute terms for several diseases of public health and clinical importance.

Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: The CD4 cell count of patients during diagnosis and distribution of CD4 cell counts in the patient population are important to understand infection-diagnosis interval and incidence rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, respectively. However, this information has not been published in Japan. This study aimed to describe the change in CD4 cell count trends and clarify the change in patients' characteristics in association with the CD4 cell count information., Methods: A descriptive study was conducted to analyze the medical records of patients with HIV who visited one of the largest acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) core hospitals in western Japan. The basic characteristics, CD4 cell counts, viral loads, and diagnosis-treatment intervals between the first (2003-2010) and second (2011-2017) halves of the study duration were compared., Results: The distribution of CD4 cell counts significantly changed between 2003-2010 and 2011-2017 (χ 2 = 20.42, P < 0.001). The proportion of CD4 cell count <200 cells/mm 3 increased (38.8% in 2003 to 45.9% in 2017), whereas CD4 cell count ≥500 cells/mm 3 decreased (19.4% in 2003 to 12.2% in 2017). Moreover, the distributions of age groups, history of HIV screening test, patient outcomes, HIV viral load, and diagnosis-treatment interval also significantly changed (χ 2 = 25.55, P < 0.001; χ 2 = 8.37, P = 0.015; χ 2 = 6.07, P = 0.014; χ 2 = 13.36, P = 0.020; χ 2 = 173.76, P < 0.001, respectively)., Conclusion: This study demonstrated the fundamental trends of the HIV epidemic in Osaka, Japan between 2003-2010 and 2011-2017 and indicated that the incidence rate of HIV was decreasing in Japan.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused unprecedented global morbidity and mortality. Japan has faced three epidemic "waves" of COVID-19 from early 2020 through early 2021. Here we narratively review the three waves in Japan, describe the key epidemiologic features of COVID-19, and discuss lessons learned., Methods: We assessed publicly available surveillance data, routine surveillance reports, and other relevant sources-multiple indicators were monitored to improve interpretation of surveillance data. Weekly trends for each wave were described based on the number of case notifications; number of tests performed; proportion of those tests that were positive for the novel coronavirus; the prevalent number of COVID-19 hospitalizations (total hospitalizations and those categorized as severe); and number of COVID-19 deaths. For each indicator and wave, we recorded the first calendar week to show an increase over two consecutive previous weeks, along with the peak week., Results: The spring wave was characterized by detection of cases imported from China, followed by notifications of sporadic cases without travel history, clusters, and mild/asymptomatic cases. The summer wave saw a large increase in notifications and a younger age distribution, but in the context of increased testing with lower test positivity. The winter wave brought considerable morbidity and mortality, surpassing the cumulative case counts and fatalities from the earlier waves, with high peak values. Overall, relative to the first wave, the burden of severe outcomes was lower in the second and higher in the third wave, but varied by prefecture. In all three waves, severe outcomes peaked after notification counts and test positivity peaked; severe outcomes were also consistently skewed toward the elderly., Conclusions: Important lessons were learned from each wave and across waves-some aspects remained constant, while others changed over time. In order to rapidly detect an increase in incidence, continuous, timely, and sensitive surveillance-using multiple information sources with careful interpretations-will be key in COVID-19 control., Competing Interests: None, (Copyright © Japan Medical Association.)

A large rubella outbreak has been observed since June 2012 in Tokyo, Japan, and a rapid increase in the number of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) cases have also been reported in Japan since October 2012. All the clinically diagnosed and laboratory-confirmed rubella cases reported in Tokyo from January 2012 to December 2013 and all the laboratory-confirmed CRS cases from January 2012 to March 2014 were analyzed. In total, 4,116 rubella cases were reported in Tokyo. Of these, 77.2% (n=3,176) were male; the highest number of cases occurred in males aged 35-39 years and in females aged 20-24 years. Complications included arthralgia/arthritis (19.4%), thrombocytopenic purpura (0.5%), hepatic dysfunction (0.3%), and encephalitis (0.1%). The circulating rubella virus in Tokyo was genotype 2B. The most possible site of transmission was the workplace. Because of the rubella epidemic, 16 CRS cases were reported in Tokyo from March 2013 to February 2014. Domestic infection with rubella was proven for all mothers of 16 cases. This situation suggests that Japan is still working to achieve rubella elimination.