Cerebrospinal meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord caused by the common summer cold virus, is spreading in Japan, especially among children, but it can be contained by simple hygienic measures, according to a national medical center.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the number of people suffering from the disease has increased this summer. It called for greater attention to basic preventive measures, including washing hands frequently and seeking medical advice as soon as changes in cold symptoms are detected.
The common cold virus, the echovirus, which grows in human intestines and spreads through the fecal-oral route, causes infections every summer, but most sufferers only face the light symptoms of a summer cold, according to the institute.
Occasionally, however, it may develop into cerebrospinal meningitis, with symptoms that include high fever, headache and repeated vomiting, and most of those affected are children, the institute said.
According to the institute, this year there have been 1,100 cases of aseptic meningitis reported at 500 medical institutions nationwide as of July 7.
The number of cases for late June rose to almost triple that of usual figures in the past, it said. In particular, echovirus type 13 which has not been reported in Japan in the past 20 years was detected, the institute said.
As very few people have immunity to echovirus 13, it is believed it could also spread among adults in the future, the institute said.
"Although the peak incidence of echovirus infections usually happens in mid-July, attention is necessary for some time," said Nobuhiko Okabe, head of the institute's Infectious Disease Surveillance Center.