Recently, Japan has once again been shrouded in a mysterious bacterium called "man-eating fungus", which has aroused global concern and concern.
Source: NHK official website
It is said that this bacterium has a fatality rate of up to 30%, and once infected, the muscles will die around the muscles when severe cases occur, and the swelling will slowly progress from the local swelling to the whole body, as if the body is slowly swallowed, which is chilling.
Source: CCTV Quick Look
Quoted from Liaoshen Evening News "There is a risk of entering the country! There are nearly 1,000 cases of "man-eating fungus" infection in Japan, and the serious ones have organ failure and are fatal within 48 hours! 》
So, what exactly is the sacredness of "man-eating fungi"? Looking back at the public health incidents in Japan in the past decade, can the terrifying "man-eating fungus" cause panic in Japan? What do you need to prepare for a visit to Japan?
What is the true body of "man-eating fungus"?
The so-called "man-eating bacteria" belong to the hemolytic streptococcus family. There are many types of hemolytic streptococcus, among which hemolytic streptococcus type A (GAS) is mostly Streptococcus pyogenes, which is the main pathogen causing many diseases, such as laryngitis, scarlet fever, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, etc.
This disease caused by hemolytic streptococcus begins with sore throat, fever and gastrointestinal discomfort and can quickly progress to multi-organ failure, with a fatality rate of up to 30%. Its severe manifestations include perimuscular necrosis, which is why it is figuratively called "man-eating bacteria".
What is the status of "man-eating fungus" infections in Japan?
The number of cases in Japan has increased significantly this year, with a growth rate of up to 60%. It was found that this was mainly caused by the M1UK lineage strain in group A hemolytic streptococcus, which produced a large amount of toxin and was easily transmitted.
According to data released by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan on the 18th, as of June 9, the number of cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (commonly known as "man-eating fungus" infection, STSS) in Japan this year exceeded 1,000, reaching 1,019 cases, a record high.
Source: CCTV News
In addition, the epidemic of hemolytic streptococcal infections has also exacerbated the spread of "man-eating bacteria" infections. According to the data, the number of cases of group A hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis in Japan in the week of June 3 to 9 was about three times that of the same period last year, indicating its epidemic situation nationwide.
How are the "man-eating bacteria" transmitted and the common symptoms?
Source: National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan
Group A β hemolytic streptococci can cause many different types of infections, the most common being GAS pharyngitis, which has two peaks in winter and spring and summer. The outbreak in Japan occurred in spring and summer, and the human-to-human transmission was mainly carried out through droplets and contact with skin wounds or contaminated objects of infected people, especially in close contact, and the acute phase was the most infectious.
Source: NHK official website
The main group of patients is older, with underlying medical conditions, or immunodeficiency, or malnutrition. Such people may be infected through respiratory droplets, physical contact, skin breakage, etc., and the main prevention is to do a good job of protection, pay attention to safe distance, and wash hands frequently.
As a group with weak immunity, children should also pay more attention to protection, especially respiratory protection, and pay attention to wearing masks when traveling.
According to the NHK website, although the symptoms of GAS laryngitis vary, the typical symptom is "strawberry tongue", in which the back of the throat is swollen bright red due to fever, and a strawberry-like bump appears, and a bright red rash called "erythema" may appear all over the body. In addition, it can lead to complications of the heart and kidneys, so it is necessary to receive proper treatment.
Antibiotics (antimicrobials) are effective against streptococcus. After more than 24 hours of treatment, the number of bacteria decreases to the extent that it will not be transmitted to others, but even if the symptoms disappear, it is necessary to continue taking the medicine for 1 week ~ 10 days to prevent complications or recurrence.
Source: NHK official website
"Man-eating fungus infection" sparks panic?
As mentioned earlier, "man-eating fungus infection" is prevalent all over the world.
The "man-eating fungus" infection is not a new disease, in fact, the first case was reported in the United States as early as 1987, followed by cases in Europe and Asia. In Japan, the first typical case was reported in 1992, and since then there have been about one or two hundred confirmed cases per year. The main causative agent responsible for this infection is group A hemolytic streptococcus.
The current status of "man-eating fungus infection" in the world
According to a report by Koop China, from late 2022 to early 2023, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and other places reported an increase in STSS infections, especially among children under 10 years old, while the number of reports of the M1UK strain of STSS also increased. STSS infections in these countries leveled off around April 2023, but the situation has varied since then.
Quoted from Zhihu user "Pai Help" about "'Man-eating bacteria' invaded Japan, nearly 1,000 cases have been confirmed so far, and the fatality rate is more than 30%, can I still travel to Japan?" How can it be prevented? Answer
From the above data, it can be seen that this is not for Japan alone. It can be said in general terms that the entire pathogenic spectrum has collectively risen.
There is no clear conclusion as to why there is an increase in cases. Li Tong, chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Beijing You'an Hospital, once mentioned that one view is related to the periodic epidemic of pathogens, similar to mycoplasma, which also has big years and small years; It is also believed that the increase in crowd activities after the new crown epidemic, such as tourism, gatherings, etc., according to the data of the China Disease Control and Prevention, the number of scarlet fever monitored in the mainland in May also increased.
Perhaps, what we should really pay attention to is that the global epidemic of various infectious diseases has shown a high trend in the past two years, which may be related to the impact of "long COVID".
Is the fatality rate of "man-eating bacteria" infection really so high?
As for the mortality rate, which is of most concern, according to a survey of 9,557 infected people by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the STSS mortality rate is 38%. From the point of view of fatality rate, the public should be panicked about the "man-eating fungus" incident.
But! Please note! The lethality refers to the lethality of STSS! At this stage, the mortality rate of patients who have progressed to moderate to severe disease and need to be admitted to the ICU for treatment is 30%.
According to the available data, the mortality rate of various other septic shock is only 30%-50%, so the outbreak of "man-eating bacteria" in Japan is not as terrible as the majority of the media said.
Currently, according to NHK data on June 25, the impact of group A hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis has decreased significantly.
Source: NHK official website
For the time being, the Japanese people still live as much as they should, and the overseas Chinese living in Japan are also living peacefully, and even some friends living in Japan themselves do not pay attention to this matter.
For example, this blogger, who runs a waste recycling business in Japan, said that everything is normal at the moment and has not been affected by germs.
Source: Station B "Lulu Collects Rags in Japan"
There are also many Chinese in Japan and Japanese IPs who say that their lives have not been affected, and some people have not even heard of this germ.
Screenshot of some netizens' comments
However, some netizens said that they were indeed infected with this germ, so everyone should still pay attention to it, and the protective habits during the "new crown" period are still useful.
Netizens who have been infected with "man-eating bacteria" in Japan commented
Compared to the 10,000 deaths a year due to influenza in Japan, the situation of "man-eating bacteria" infection is not terrifying, which may be one of the reasons why Japanese society does not have too much fear of "man-eating bacteria" problem.
A look back at major public health events in Japan's history
In the past decade, Japan, as a developed country, has experienced a number of public health events, such as H1N1 influenza and the 2014 O157 E. coli infection.
Influenza 2009 H1N1 pandemic
I believe everyone is no stranger to "swine flu" A (H1N1), which is an epidemic second only to "SARS" and "new crown" in everyone's memory. The pandemic has also taken Japan by storm.
Osaka was the hardest hit by H1N1 in 2009, with an estimated 8,293 people infected with H1N1.
In 2009, Japan enacted the Law on Special Measures for Novel Influenza and Other Countermeasures in 2012 and implemented it in 2013 as a supplement to the Infectious Diseases Act, the Quarantine Act, the Vaccination Act, and the Action Plan for Novel Influenza Countermeasures.
E. coli infection of O157 in 2014
In 2014, Japan experienced the largest outbreak of mass food poisoning in 10 years. At the fireworks display held in Shizuoka City, Japan, at the end of July that year, more than 400 tourists suffered from abdominal pain and bloody stools after eating chilled cucumbers. As of August 10, a total of 453 people have been tested for Hemorrhagic E. coli O157, and 4 patients with severe hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) with comorbidities such as renal failure have been detected.
In 1996, Japan suffered the largest E. coli infection in history, with 12 deaths and 10,000 poisonings. As this incident occurred mainly in schools, Japan has re-examined the hygienic situation of school feeding.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Culture has formulated and refined the "Standards for the Management of Food Hygiene in Schools."
Starting from the raw materials, all kinds of dishes should be stored and cleaned separately; All operations have splash-proof facilities to avoid cross-contamination; Each operation room has fixed work clothes, and it should be disinfected under negative pressure before entering the workshop.
Raw materials should be imported from a number of enterprises; Cancel the raw and cold food in the nutritious lunch, all food must be processed at high temperature, and cooked at a high temperature above 75 degrees Celsius for more than 1 minute; The time from the time the food is cooked to the time the student eats must not exceed two hours; Samples are kept at every lunch and stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius for two weeks (E. coli infection will take place after a week).
Schools are required to inspect the hygienic conditions of school canteens every three months; Local health departments inspect school cafeterias and catering secondary schools two to three times a year; The education department also conducts regular inspections.
2023 Japan Aggregate Poisoning Incident
According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK), Japan's Ishikawa County Government confirmed today (6th) that in August this year, the "Great Waterfall Sightseeing Water" restaurant in Tsuhata Town, Ishikawa Prefecture caused a total of 892 people from 18 prefectures in Japan to suffer from food poisoning, of which the youngest was just over one year old and the oldest was over 80 years old. Of the 892 people, 22 were hospitalized at one point.
An investigation by the Ishikawa Prefectural Central Public Health Center found that Campylobacter was detected in the spring water used to make the restaurant's suimen, a Japanese noodle dish.
It turned out that in mid-July, there had been heavy rains in the area. According to Japanese law, after heavy rainfall, the water quality of the spring must be checked to confirm that there are no health and safety issues before the spring water can be used for "flowing somen noodles".
Because the store was in a hurry to launch the "Flowing Water Somen Noodles" activity as scheduled to attract tourists, the store used it directly without checking the water quality.
Source: NHK
Based on the above cases, we can see that Japan has sufficient experience in dealing with influenza.
Most of the other public health incidents stem from the mishandling of food by merchants, which may be related to Japan's tradition of raw food.
Although Japanese sashimi, tender raw beef, and raw eggs with a unique taste are so appealing to visitors to Japan or about to embark on a trip to Japan that they can't help but want to try them. However, in view of the current potential food safety risks such as "man-eating bacteria", we recommend that you choose to enjoy cooked food as much as possible to ensure a safe and healthy diet.
Do you need to panic when you go to Japan?
According to the number of visitors to Japan announced by the Japan National Tourism Organization on June 19, the number of tourists in a single month exceeded 3 million for the first time in March 2024, and as of May, it has reached the level of 3 million for three consecutive months. The depreciation of the exchange rate has also contributed to the increase in the per capita consumption price of Japanese tourists, and the consumption of tourists visiting Japan has become one of the pillars of the Japanese economy.
Source: JNTO official website
Japan is currently experiencing a boom in tourism, with the number of Chinese tourists ranking second in Japan, reaching 540,000 in May. However, some Chinese netizens who plan to travel have expressed concern about "man-eating mushrooms".
Source: Internet
Although mentioned above, this "man-eating fungus" is not the "lethal rate of 30%" as we understand it, and the people with a high incidence of severe disease include people who have been taking diabetes complication drugs, painkillers, hormone drugs and anticancer drugs for a long time, people who have just been discharged from the hospital after a serious illness, people who have undergone surgery, and people with skin wounds. But for the sake of our own health, we also need to make some preparations:
1. Understand the public health situation in Japan:
Pay attention to public health information released by Japanese officials, such as infectious disease information on the NHK official website, Asahi Shimbun, etc.
Consult your travel agent or professional to understand the local health situation and prepare in advance, especially the relevant medications, because the average person has no need to worry about hemolytic streptococcal infection, and antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin are effective.
2. Precautionary measures:
(1) Wash your hands frequently or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Children should pay attention to respiratory protection, such as wearing masks.
(2) Any skin lesions, including minor wounds, scratches, and insect bites, should be washed, disinfected, and covered with dressings in a timely manner. People with chickenpox, ringworm and other skin breakages should not touch the water, and once the wound is red, swollen and suppurated, it should be treated in time.
(3) Try to avoid close contact with people with streptococcal infections, especially when coughing and sneezing. Infected people automatically keep their distance.
(4) If you have symptoms of infection such as fever, chills, redness, swelling and pain in the skin, you should seek medical attention immediately, especially for high-risk groups.
Source: NHK
Although the "man-eating fungus" incident is a cause for concern, Japan, as a developed country, has experience in responding to public health events, so there is no need to panic too much. Chinese nationals going to Japan should pay attention to local public health information and information released by the embassy to ensure their own travel safety.
※ The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nippon Street.
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