TOKYO - The number of measles cases reported in Japan this year has reached 511, approaching the 2019 total of 744, a national research institute said Tuesday.
Given that measles is highly contagious and can have serious health consequences, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is advising people who suspect they may be infected to consult medical institutions by phone.
The figure has already surpassed the 2025 preliminary total of 265, according to the Japan Institute for Health Security.
More than 60 people were infected each week nationwide in April, before the weekly figure fell to 30 or fewer following the Golden Week holidays, according to the ministry.
Some 70 percent of those infected are believed to have contracted measles in Japan, although the virus is suspected to have been brought into the country by foreign visitors and international travelers returning to Japan. The World Health Organization declared the country measles-free in 2015.
Measles is an airborne disease, and infected people can develop symptoms such as fever, cough and a runny nose about 10 days after exposure. In some cases, it can lead to serious complications, including encephalitis.
To prevent infection, the measles-rubella vaccine is administered in two doses. In Japan, children receive the first dose at age 1 and the second in the year before entering elementary school, although some age groups are known to have received only one dose.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said, "We strongly urge people planning to travel overseas, as well as those born before April 2000 who are particularly likely not to have received the routine two-dose vaccinations, to check their medical history and vaccination records and consider getting vaccinated."
