Norovirus Infections Growing in Japan

   Tokyo, Dec. 2 (Jiji Press)--Infectious gastroenteritis due to norovirus has shown signs of becoming epidemic in Japan, with the number of patients growing to the second-highest level since 2002, after that in 2006.
   As the number of patients usually peaks in December, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases are recommending thorough hand-washing and adequate heating of food in cooking in order to prevent infection.
   According to a fixed-point observation by the institute at 3,000 medical facilities with pediatric departments across the country, the average number of patients per facility came to 11.39 between Nov. 12 and 18, the second largest for this time of the year after 16.46 in 2006.
   This winter, the average number of patients was the highest in Miyazaki Prefecture at 22.42, followed by Fukuoka Prefecture at 20.03 and Oita Prefecture at 19.42. In addition to the three southwestern prefectures, relatively large numbers of patients have been reported in the Kansai western Japan.
   Once infected with norovirus, patients suffer repeated vomiting and diarrhea for several hours to several days. They usually recover in several days, but abundant fluid intake is crucial to prevent dehydration.

(2012/12/02-12:30)

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