Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP (Illustration) 4:42 p.m., March 22, 2024
The Japanese government has sought to put into perspective fears linked to a recent outbreak of cases of severe infections caused by bacteria. Between the start of the year and March 13, Japan recorded 474 cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, more than in 2023. An illness that worries the foreign press.
The Japanese government sought on Friday to put into perspective fears linked to a recent outbreak of cases of severe infections caused by bacteria, an epidemic which has panicked the foreign press for several days. Between the start of the year and March 13, Japan recorded 474 cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a severe form of infection caused by the group A streptococcal (GAS) bacteria, according to the Institute National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan. This is more than half of all cases of SCTS recorded in Japan in 2023 (941).
Most infections caused by GAS are mild, such as angina and impetigo. But SCTS, which releases toxins that can cause the body's organs to fail, is fatal in one in three cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. North Korea informed Japan on Thursday that it could not host on its soil a qualifying match between their two teams for the 2026 World Cup and which was initially scheduled for next Tuesday, according to the Japan Football Federation.
Pyongyang did not specify the reason, but the SCTS epidemic in Japan is believed to be the cause, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo. The match will be played on neutral ground at a later date, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on Friday.
Waves of infection not only in Japan
Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi declined to comment Friday on Pyongyang's surprise move, but insisted Japan was not the only country affected by SCTS. Since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, "the number of patients with respiratory tract infections has increased in various countries, including Japan," Yoshimasa Hayashi said during his regular press briefing.
Waves of invasive group A streptococcal infections have also occurred in 2022-2023 in Europe, North America and even Australia. GAS is transmitted by respiratory droplets and direct contact (nasal secretions, skin lesions).
In January, the Japanese Minister of Health had already called on the population to continue to use barrier gestures, such as washing their hands regularly and wearing a mask in busy public places.