Diseases in Japan
Noncommunicable Diseases
Noncommunicable diseases are "illnesses that are not spread by any infectious agent...even though they might have an infectious cause" (Skolnik, 2021, p. 30).
Top Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD):
1. Malignant Neoplasm (Cancer)
2. Alzheimer's
Malignant Neoplasm (Cancer)
The Challenge:
When it comes to malignant neoplasm is that while screening is available to help "decrease cancer incidence, improve survival, and decrease mortality" there is a lack of adherence to the standard of practice (Matsuda & Saika, 2018). Japan also does not regularly evaluate for specific types of cancers outside of the stomach, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers (Matsuda & Saika, 2018).
The Current & Potential Measures:
Currently, Japan requires a more comprehensive screening to ensure adequate coverage for all types of cancers and not just the most prevalent to address the need of those at a higher risk (OECD, 2019).
(Cancer Today, n.d.)
Dementia/Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
The Challenge:
The main challenge with Alzheimer's is that there is not an "effective preventive or curative measures...and the number of cases is only expected to increase" as Japan's aging population rapidly increases (Sakamoto, Rahman, Nomura, Okamoto, Koike, Yasunaga, Kawakami, Hashimoto, Kondo, Abe, Palmer, & Ghaznavi, 2018, p. 22). Japan may see a projected increase in Alzheimer's cases in those 60 and over by 2026 (Clinical Trials Arena, 2017).
The Current & Potential Measures:
As there is no cure or prevention for Alzheimer's Disease, the need for additional coverage and support may be needed. Japan is currently working on assistance programs and different universal health coverage policies to reduce the disease burden on the system and individuals affected by Alzheimer's Disease (Sakamoto et al, 2018).
A Communicable Disease
Communicable disease are "illnesses that are caused by a particular infectious agent and that spread directly or indirectly" (Skolnik, 2021, p. 30)
Top Communicable Disease:
1. Lower Respiratory Infection (Pneumonia)
Japan has seen an overall decline in the number of communicable or "infectious" diseases within the last few decades with the establishment of the Infectious Disease Surveillance Center (IDSC) in 1997 by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) (Sakamoto et al, 2018). The IDSC performs "nationwide surveillance of infectious diseases by collecting reports on the detection of infectious agents from prefectural public health institutions" (Sakamoto et al, 2018, p. 100). The reports are then divided into five categories based on the "urgency of notification and severity" (Sakamoto et al, 2018, p. 100).
Bacterial Pneumonia
The Challenge:
Bacterial pneumonia killed approximately 120,000 Japanese people, and of that number, 96% were over the age of 65 (Miyashita & Yamauchi, 2018). The prevalence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), and nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP) has become a major issue in Japan because of the high mortality in the elderly (Miyashita & Yamauchi, 2018).
A challenge Japan is facing when treating HAP and NHCAP is that the causative agents are frequently antibiotic-resistant (MRSA) resulting in a higher than normal mortality rate (Miyashita & Yamauchi, 2018).
The Current & Potential Measures:
The current measure taken - as of October 2014 - is the administration of the pneumococcal vaccine to those 65 years and older. There are two vaccines available for the elderly PPSV23 and PCV13; with PPCS23 reducing the overall occurrence of pneumonia by 44.8% (Miyashita & Yamauchi, 2018).
(Masoud, 2013)
COVID-19 Pandemic
The Impact:
SARS-CoV-2 or Covid-19 was first discovered in China at the end of 2019, and on January 16, 2020, Japan confirmed its first cases (Amengual & Atsumi, 2021). As of September 8, 2021, the total number of COVID-19 cases has steadily declined but continues to affect 81 people out of 100,000 across the country of Japan (Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, 2021). Japan's initial preventative measure focused on the temporary closing of schools and non-essential businesses or activities that limited the spread of COVID-19 (Amengual & Atsumi, 2021). Japan also developed a cluster-based response that focuses on tracing the source of infection through early detection, early patient diagnosis and response, and behavioral changes (Amegual & Atsumi, 2021).
The Challenge:
The challenge Japan is facing during the COVID-19 pandemic is the lack of adequate PCR - or diagnostic testing (Amegual & Atsumi, 2021). Another challenge was relying solely on citizens' commitment to behavioral modifications - wearing masks, not traveling to restaurants or abroad - and not governmental mandates (Haruka, 2021).
(Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, n.d.)
(Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, n.d.)
Current Preventative Measures:
1. Free Vaccinations (The Government of Japan, 2021)
2. Wear a Mask
3. Clean Hands
4. Avoid the 3 C's
-
closed-contact settings
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crowded places
-
closed spaces
(Kizuna, 2020)
Message from Minister Kono (2021)
References
Amengual, O., & Atsumi, T. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Rheumatology international, 41(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-020-04744-9
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Clinical Trials Arena. (2017). Japan will have the fastest growing prevalent cases of Alzheimer's. Retrieved from https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/comment/japan-will-fastest-growing-prevalent-cases-alzheimers/
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The Government of Japan. (2021). Ongoing topics: Prime minister of Japan and his Cabinet. Retrieved from https://japan.kantei.go.jp/ongoingtopics/vaccine.html
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Kizuna. (2020). Avoiding the three CS: A key to preventing the spread of covid-19. Retrieved from https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2020/avoiding_the_three_cs.html
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Masoud, Z. (2013). Infectious Disease Advisory. photograph. Retrieved from https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/home/topics/respiratory/influenza/earlier-treatment-with-basis-linked-to-better-outcomes-for-flu-b-infections/.
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Matsuda, T., & Saika, K. (2018). Cancer burden in Japan based on the latest cancer statistics: Need for evidence-based cancer control programs. Retrieved from https://ace.amegroups.com/article/view/4609/5356
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Message from Minister Kono [Video file]. (2021, June 17). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRbfv-Sn2AM&t=39s
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Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare . (2021). Current situation of infection, September 8, 2021. COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.niid.go.jp/niid/en/2019-ncov-e.html.
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Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. (n.d.). Situation report. Retrieved September 27, 2021, from https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/covid-19/kokunainohasseijoukyou_00006.html.
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Miyashita, N., & Yamauchi, Y. (2018). Bacterial Pneumonia in Elderly Japanese Populations. Japanese Clinical Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/1179670717751433
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OECD (2019), OECD Reviews of Public Health: Japan: A Healthier Tomorrow, OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264311602-en
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Sakamoto, H. (2021). Japan's covid-19 strategy. Items: Insights from the Social Sciences. Retrieved from https://items.ssrc.org/covid-19-and-the-social-sciences/covid-19-in-east-asia/japans-covid-19-strategy/.
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Sakamoto, H., Rahman, M., Nomura, S., Okamoto, E., Koike, S., Yasunaga, H., Kawakami, N., Hashimoto, H., Kondo, N., Abe, S. K., Palmer, M., Ghaznavi, C. (2018). Japan Health System Review (Vol. 8). New Delhi, India: WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/259941/9789290226260-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
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