The number of confirmed cases of hand, foot and mouth disease remains high in several prefectures even after the expected peak in summer, data from health authorities shows.
The national average of confirmed cases per medical institution was 7.77 during the week of Sept. 16 to 22, roughly six times the number from the same week in 2023, according to data from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).
The disease became increasingly prevalent from May this year and peaked around July. An average of 13.34 cases per medical institution was recorded for the week of July 8 to 14 ¡ª 11 times that of the same week in 2023.
The number of cases briefly dropped after the peak before rebounding in mid-August. An average of 8.03 cases per medical institution ¡ª this year¡¯s second peak ¡ª was recorded in the week of Sept. 9 to 15.
The latest data available from the NIID, which tallied cases for the week of Sept. 16 to 22, showed Ehime Prefecture as having the highest average number of cases, at 19.95 per medical institution, followed by Toyama (17.62), Miyagi (16.09) and Shimane (14.18) prefectures.
Tokyo had 8.76 confirmed cases per medical institution during the same week, which was higher than the national average. Prefectures in Kansai, Tohoku and the northern Kyushu regions, as well as Hokkaido, saw a lower-than-average number of cases over the same period.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious viral infection primarily caused by strains of Coxsackievirus Group A and Enterovirus 71. Typical symptoms include multiple rashes with blisters appearing inside the mouth, and on the hands and feet. It primarily spreads among children, but adults can also become infected in rare cases.
The primary ways through which infection spreads include contact with droplets containing virus particles from an infected person sneezing or coughing and fluids from an infected person¡¯s blisters. Fecal-oral transmission due to poor hygiene practices is also common.
There is no effective treatment or preventive medicine against the disease. The health ministry recommends thorough and frequent handwashing, and avoiding sharing towels with others to prevent infection.
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