Tokyo witnesses unprecedented rise in streptococcal infections, hits alert threshold

Dec 21, 2023 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Tokyo is currently facing an unprecedented surge in streptocococcal infections, marking the first instance since record-keeping commenced in 1999 that these infections have escalated to an alert level.

As per the latest reports from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, there has been a notable increase in cases of Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis. The figures indicate an average of 6.05 cases per medical facility over the past week. This spike in streptococcal infections has prompted authorities to declare an alert status, a move not seen since the commencement of systematic record-keeping over two decades ago.

In addition to the rise in streptococcal infections, Tokyo's healthcare system is also grappling with an uptick in influenza cases. The recent data shows an increase of 0.27 patients per medical institution compared to the previous week, marking this as the second-highest rate recorded this season. Concurrently, the capital is also witnessing a steady increase in COVID-19 cases, with an average of 2.58 new infections per medical establishment, marking a continuous rise over four weeks.

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