New gene tests for germs quickly reveal source of infections
Brian Jetter, a healthy 40-year-old, found himself suddenly on life support, battling pneumonia and sepsis. A slew of tests had failed to find the cause. Mystery illnesses like this kill thousands of people each year when germs can't be identified fast enough to reveal the ...
Over 190 superbug infections reported in U.S. and Europe after using Olympus endoscopes, probe finds
Several of the people infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria died, though it is not certain whether their deaths were the direct result of infection.
Wild boar carcasses found in Gifu dull prospects for declaring containment of swine fever
An outbreak of swine fever on a farm in Gifu Prefecture earlier this month seemed to come to an end after the culling of hundreds of pigs and the disinfection of all related facilities. But the prospects of officially declaring next month the containment of ...
Number of Japan patients with rubella quintuples from 2017 level
The number of rubella patients this year has jumped more than fivefold to 496 from 93 in 2017, with many cases reported in and around Tokyo.
17 delicatessens in eastern Japan close over E. coli outbreak
An operator of delicatessens in eastern Japan said Wednesday it has closed all 17 of its stores after some locations were hit by an E. coli bacteria outbreak that has killed a 3-year-old girl and sickened 21 others. The 17 stores in Gunma, Saitama and ...
No toxic bacteria found in samples from Gunma factory linked to food-poisoning probe
The municipal government of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, said Saturday it did not find toxic bacteria in food samples taken from a local factory after potato salad produced there caused E. coli food poisoning earlier in the month. Twelve people who ate the salad sold in ...
Kanazawa issues alert after returnee from India is diagnosed with measles
The Kanazawa Municipal Government is calling for the public to stay alert over possible measles infections after a city resident who recently came back from India was diagnosed with the disease. According to the city government, the Kanazawa resident, a man in his 30s, flew ...
Japan looks to update flu measures after avian influenza outbreak
Government officials and scientists are moving to update countermeasures for a possible influenza pandemic after this winter's global spread of avian flu. Researchers plan to review the government's death toll estimate from a possible flu pandemic that was drawn up more than a decade ago ...
Tokyo reveals rare outbreak of tuberculosis, plays down ongoing risk
Nine people have contracted tuberculosis while 34 others have developed asymptomatic forms of the disease after coming into contact last year with an Asian student living in Tokyo, the metropolitan government has revealed. According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Social Welfare and Public Health Bureau, ...
South Korea MERS deaths reach 24; WHO chief offers reassurances
The head of the World Health Organization has praised beleaguered South Korean officials and exhausted health workers, saying their efforts to contain a deadly MERS virus outbreak have put the country on good footing and lowered the public risk. Margaret Chan said it's a good ...
Questions remain over how Japan would handle actual Ebola cases
Health experts have said authorities were correct to intercept a Canadian journalist who subsequently tested negative for the Ebola virus and remains under observation. But the structure of Japan's health system remains a cause for concern. There are questions over its ability to respond quickly ...
Dengue fever cases rise to 74 as evidence emerges that the virus is no longer confined to the two parks so far linked to the rare outbreak.
