A research group at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases reported to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare that the number of patients with food poisoning caused by Anisakis, which parasitizes fish and shellfish and causes severe abdominal pain, was estimated based on data from medical bills. It turned out that it is expected to reach about 20,000 people per year, more than 50 times.
Anisakis larvae, which are about 2 to 3 centimeters long, parasitize seafood such as mackerel and horse mackerel, and if they enter the human body alive without being sufficiently heated or frozen, they can damage the stomach and intestines and cause severe abdominal pain. It causes vomiting, etc.
A group led by Hiroshi Sugiyama, a visiting researcher at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, focused on the medical fee statements issued when patients visited medical institutions, and analyzed data from 8.43 million people for research purposes.
As a result, in 2018 and 2019, an average of about 880 people were billed for medical fees for food poisoning caused by Anisakis. It turns out that it seems to climb.
The number of cases reported to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare last year was 344, which is the most common cause of food poisoning, and the actual number of patients is believed to be more than 50 times higher.
From 2005 to 2011, it is estimated that there were about 7,000 people per year, and this time, the increase is confirmed.
Sugiyama, a visiting researcher, said, "Transportation technology has developed, fish that cause Anisakis have become available, and changes in ocean currents may have increased the number."