With measles cases in Osaka Prefecture surging to 81 this year, it seems there was 1 reported case in Nishinomiya City in February.
Since the start of 2019, reports of measles cases have been increasing in Japan. In February, one case of measles (modified measles) was reported by a medical institution in the city. Cases are also rising sharply in nearby prefectures such as Mie and Osaka, so please take care.
Nishinomiya City’s measles alert leaflet ↓
Yomiuri Shimbun Online wrote about the age groups with the highest number of patients in Osaka.
The largest age group among patients was people in their 30s, with 25 cases, followed by 21 cases among teenagers and 19 cases among people in their 20s. As Japan’s vaccine policy has changed over time, many people, especially those in their 20s and 30s, have not consistently received two doses, and there were also many cases with no vaccination history or an unknown history. Meanwhile, there was only one case among people in their 50s or older, many of whom were infected during past outbreaks and have immunity.
It seems many cases are among people in their 20s and 30s.
Naturally, people with no vaccination history are at risk, but it also seems that many people who do not know whether they were vaccinated are becoming infected.
First of all, it may be important to find out whether you have been vaccinated. Once you know, you can take steps to protect yourself.
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Birthdates of people who may not have been vaccinated
Many people probably do not remember whether they were vaccinated or not, so I looked into the birthdates of people who may not have received the vaccination. By the way, people who have had measles in the past have immunity and do not need to be vaccinated.
Reference site: Children and Adults Vaccine Site (Japan Primary Care Association Vaccine Project Team)
People born on or before September 30, 1972 (Showa 47)
People aged 47 and older are in an age group that is highly likely to have never received even one dose.
So it seems that two doses of the vaccine are recommended.
People born between October 1, 1972 (Showa 47) and April 1, 1990 (Heisei 2)
People aged 29 to 47 are in an age group that received only one routine dose (today, two doses are standard).
In other words, they may not have immunity, so an additional dose seems to be recommended.
People born between April 2, 1990 (Heisei 2) and April 1, 2000 (Heisei 12)
People aged 19 to 29 are in an age group that may have received only one dose. Some people appear to have received two doses.
The reason is a little complicated.
If you clearly remember receiving two doses, that is fine, but if you did not, an additional dose seems to be recommended.
People born on or after April 2, 2000 (Heisei 12)
People up to age 19 are in an age group that received two routine doses. If you have not received a total of two doses so far, an additional dose is recommended. If you are not sure, ask your father or mother to look for your Mother and Child Health Handbook. It should say there whether you were vaccinated.
For adults, vaccination is voluntary and costs money
Looking at several clinics in Nishinomiya, the fee for measles vaccination was often around 3,500 to 5,000 yen. For people receiving two doses, it costs around 7,000 to 10,000 yen.
Some clinics only carry the MR vaccine (measles-rubella combination vaccine), so if you are going to be vaccinated, we strongly recommend calling in advance. Similarly, it seems many men in their 30s to 50s have not been vaccinated against rubella, so if you have not, the MR vaccine is recommended.
The site below, which I used as a reference, explains it clearly in more detail.
https://www.vaccine4all.jp/topics_I-detail.php?tid=48
