EXCLUSIVE: Mycoplasma Pneumonia Spreading in Japan

Tokyo, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)--The number of mycoplasma pneumonia patients shot up this summer and is now staying around record levels, a development experts call quite unusual, Jiji Press learned Thursday.
Mycoplasma pneumonia, caused by a microorganism bigger than virus and smaller than bacteria, usually becomes epidemic in winter. Characterized by a long period of severe coughs and high fever, the disease sometimes causes meninges inflammation and encephalitis.
Many young people up to around 30 years old have been infected, informed sources said. The disease is spreading in some of the prefectures hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, they said.
The weekly number of mycoplasma pneumonia cases reported to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases from some 500 hospitals throughout the nation reached a record high of 355 between June 20 and 26, a 70 pct jump over the year-before level.
The weekly tally stayed high at around 300 for a while and rose further to 397 for Sept. 12-18, a 2.3-fold increase.
As of Sept. 18, the cumulative total for this year reached 8,528, on course to rewrite an annual record high of 10,333 logged last year, the sources said.
The institute is calling for early medical examination and measures to prevent infections, such as thorough hand-washing and wearing masks.
Mycoplasma pneumonia cases usually decrease in autumn even if they increase in summer, institute senior researcher Yoshinori Yasui said.
"But the number is increasing this year," he said, stressing that the situation requires caution.
The number of mycoplasma pneumonia cases rose twofold to 166 in Aomori Prefecture, 4.1-fold to 273 in Iwate Prefecture and 1.2-fold to 237 in Miyagi Prefecture. Iwate and Miyagi are among the three northeastern Japan prefectures hit hardest by the March 11 disaster.
Elsewhere, the number jumped 3.6-fold to 259 in Tokyo, 9.5-fold to 284 in Aichi Prefecture, 2.2-fold to 419 in Osaka Prefecture, 2.5-fold to 111 in Ehime Prefecture, and 1.8-fold to 214 in Okinawa Prefecture.
"This year, antibiotic agents that had been thought effective (against the disease) did not work in many cases," said Nobuhiko Okabe, director of the institute's Infectious Disease Surveillance Center. "This may be behind the increase in patient numbers."
Okabe said those suffering from prolonged coughs and fever should consult doctors soon.
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