Tuberculosis (TB) was once dreaded in Japan, with fatalities reaching a peak of 171,474 in 1943. Recent news about new TB cases, including a midwife in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, and Ms. Haruka Minowa of the popular female comic duo Harisenbon, has reminded people and medical professionals that TB is not a disease of the past.
In Japan, the number of new TB cases detected stood at 25,311 in 2007, a drop of 1,073 from the previous year. TB took the lives of 2,188 people in 2007, 81 fewer than in 2006. But it must be remembered that TB is still a serious infectious disease in this country in terms of the number of new cases. Japan's TB incidence — 19.8 cases per 100,000 people in 2007 — is the highest among developed countries: 4.5 times more than in Canada, 4.4 times more than in the United States and 3.7 times more than in Sweden.
Most TB cases in Japan involve people aged 70 and above, who were infected when young. They tend to be senile or suffer from other diseases like diabetes. A system should be developed to detect and treat such TB cases at an early stage.