Bedridden with measles, 10 years after being infected with the incurable disease that struck a boy March 26, 3:34 p.m.
The active baseball player suddenly lost his ability to walk or talk when he was in fifth grade.
The cause was the measles virus he contracted when he was 0 years old.
About 5 to 10 years after contracting measles, he developed a rare and incurable disease.
Patients and their families agreed to be interviewed to help people understand how scary measles is.
(Mariko Takemae, Director of Metropolitan Area Bureau)
Sudden changes 10 years after measles infection
Kosuke Kishimoto (26), who lives in Tokyo, was diagnosed with measles when he was seven months old.
His mother, Yuko, believes that Kosuke may have been infected with measles at the hospital when she took him to a nearby clinic after he developed a sudden rash.
Mother Yuko:
``My son developed a sudden rash, and I took him to the clinic out of concern.When I heard that he had ``measles,'' I thought it was disgusting.He was 0 years old and had not been vaccinated yet. That's why I took it."
At the time, Kosuke did not receive the measles vaccine because he was under the age of one year, which is the period when he is eligible for the routine measles vaccination.
After being infected with measles, he developed symptoms such as high fever and rash, but recovered in about 10 days.
After that, I returned to my normal life.
Kosuke started playing baseball at the age of 5 and has been a regular player on the local baseball team since he was in the first grade of elementary school.
His position is first base, and he is number one in the batting order.
He was said to be fast and had a high on-base percentage.
I also loved drawing, and after baseball practice, I would go to art classes without fail.
The walls of my home are covered with paintings drawn by Kosuke.
He was also an active boy who tried anything he wanted to do, such as playing soccer and playing the saxophone.
Father Shuzo:
``He was moving about three times as much as other people.When he was really active, he would play baseball in the morning, eat lunch, play soccer, and go to art class right after he got home.'' ”
Mother Yuko: ``
Due to my friends' influence, I wanted to do a lot of lessons, so I enrolled in all of them, thinking I could stop if I wanted to, but in the end, I completed all of them until I developed an illness. I felt like I knew what was going to happen, and I felt like I was going to do everything I could."
Something strange happened in the fall of my fifth year at elementary school.
During a baseball game, the bat suddenly stopped hitting the ball.
I kept getting strikeouts.
He used to have a bright and lively personality, but he has become less fluent and has started to mumble and stammer.
Yuko thought that her teeth might be bad, so she took her to the dentist, but even after dental treatment, her speech did not change.
What worried her parents in particular was that she was no longer able to do math, which was her strong point.
Mother Yuko: ``I
can't do multiplication and division anymore, which I used to be able to do easily.No matter how many times I show them how to do it, I can't do it.This is absolutely strange.I had a bad feeling.''
Early morning, one month after the strange things started happening.
Kosuke screamed out, his whole body convulsing, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
As a result of the tests, his parents were told that the disease was called ``subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE).''
This is an incurable disease in which the latent measles virus becomes reactivated and causes encephalitis.
Recent overseas studies have estimated that among patients under the age of 5 who contract measles, one in several thousand develops the disease.
There is no established treatment for complete cure.
Mother Yuko
: ``When I got home, I cried a lot in the bath alone. I couldn't handle my feelings. Why did Kosuke...'' There wasn't. During the test, Kosuke was crying and saying, ``Why me?'' It seemed like the child could tell that something was wrong, and that was really painful.''
Afterwards, Koryo underwent treatment at a specialized hospital to alleviate his symptoms.
He was at home until being admitted, but his symptoms continued to progress.
He will not be able to walk straight.
On the train heading to the hospital, he misbehaves...
Immediately after being admitted to the hospital, his parents advised him to sleep over with the doctor, saying, ``Soon he won't be able to eat by mouth, so please feed him lots of food he likes.''
What we prepared was Kosuke's favorite okonomiyaki.
We invited Kosuke's friend, who played on the same baseball team, and his mother to sit around the dinner table.
Kosuke was unable to eat okonomiyaki properly due to his illness, and his mouth was covered in sauce.
When his friend saw him, he brought the okonomiyaki to his mouth, and Kosuke looked a little embarrassed, but he ate it with a smile on his face.
Kosuke, his parents, and his brother, who was in junior high school, went to a nearby park that they had often visited since they were children.
Koryo was unsteady on his feet, but he was riding the swing and enjoying time with his family.
Four days after the sleepover began, Kosuke had another seizure and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
After that, it rapidly became difficult to eat, walk, and talk.
It's only been two and a half months since the first incident.
Kosuke became bedridden and it became difficult for him to communicate.
Two years ago, he was put on a ventilator.
The parents take turns in taking care of the child's daily needs, such as suctioning sputum and gastrostomy.
Measles infections are currently being confirmed one after another across the country.
Parents are feeling a growing sense of crisis.
Mother Yuko:
``I don't want to get measles. Some babies are under 1 year old and haven't been vaccinated yet. It's important that we don't have any. I sincerely hope that children like Kosuke don't come up again, so they at least get vaccinated."
To protect your baby from measles
Kosuke's attending physician, Dr. Eri Takeshita of the National Center for Neurology and Psychiatry, who is familiar with SSPE, said, ``Patients with SSPE get measles before the age of 2 when their immune systems are immature, and after 5 to 10 years. There are many cases where the disease develops.In order to protect 0-year-old babies who have not yet received the vaccine from measles, it is important to create a society where measles does not spread."
Measles can be spread through the air, as well as through droplets and contact, and it is extremely contagious, so if you don't have immunity, you can almost certainly get infected just by being in the same room as an infected person.
There is no specific drug, and if you are infected without immunity, you may develop severe pneumonia or encephalitis and even die.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the most effective method of preventing measles is vaccination, and two doses are recommended, as most people are said to develop immunity.
Those born after April 2, 2000 can receive the measles vaccine at public expense twice:
once when they are one year old, and
once during the year before entering elementary school. I am.
On the other hand, those born before April 1, 2000 may not have sufficient immunity because they received one or no routine vaccinations.
You can check the number of vaccinations in your mother and child health handbook.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, they have secured the necessary amount of routine vaccinations for children, but due to non-regular vaccination requests, there is a shortage of routine vaccinations in some areas. There are reports that there are.
Dr. Akifumi Tokita, vice chairman of the Public Health Committee of the Japanese Pediatric Association, said that for adults, the infection was once widespread in Japan, and most people have received at least one vaccination. , says that some people may have measles antibodies, and urges the following.
Dr. Akifumi Tokita
: ``In order to ensure that children are vaccinated, I would like adults to first check their own immunity through antibody tests and determine whether it is necessary until the supply of vaccines is stable. Please consider getting vaccinated when the situation becomes dire, such as an outbreak spreading in the area where you live."
Measles can be an incurable disease for which there is no established treatment.
It is now necessary for each and every person to take action to prevent infection.
(Broadcast on the Metropolitan Area Network on March 21st)
Distributed on NHK Plus [Metropolitan Area Network] “Measles causes an incurable disease” (Distribution deadline: 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28)
Tokyo Metropolitan Area Bureau Director
Mariko Takemae Joined the station
in 2008
After working at the Asahikawa Broadcasting Station and News Bureau, she is currently in
charge of reporting on medical care and child-rearing and digital development.