TAKING EVERY PRECAUTION
Japan Takes Measures to Prevent SARS (June 9, 2003)
As severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a new type
of pneumonia, rages in wide areas of Asia and other places, the Japanese government
has been busy taking measures to prevent an outbreak from occurring in Japan.
The government has urged people to take caution in traveling to affected areas,
and it has been making every effort to prevent SARS from entering Japan. In addition,
work is progressing on a system in which medical institutions, national and local
governments, and corporations will act together to prevent the spread of SARS
in the event of an outbreak in Japan. As a result of these efforts, as of June
9, there have been no confirmed or probable cases of SARS in Japan.
|Medical staff practice using an isolator. (Jiji)
Plans Already Developed for Dealing with Patients
On May 1 the government brought the heads of the relevant ministries and agencies
together for a first-ever meeting devoted to SARS in order to decide what measures
should be taken in the event that someone in Japan is found to be infected with
the virus. The group decided to call on people returning from China to stay at
home for 10 days, which is believed to be the incubation period for the disease.
Taking this into consideration, the
Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare made plans for taking action in the
event of an outbreak. It decided to give local governments the authority to direct
people believed likely to be infected, or "probable patients," to hospitalize
themselves. In the event that a patient refuses, the local governments are empowered
to forcibly hospitalize the person.
Local governments are readying themselves to accept patients. According to a survey
conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun in early May,
all of the nation's 47 prefectures had already completed action plans spelling
out what measures would be taken in the event of an outbreak. In addition, some
250 medical institutions around the country have made such preparations as setting
up "negative air-pressure rooms" to prevent the virus from spreading
within the hospital or to the outside. Local governments in such places as Kitakyushu
City, Hokkaido, and Mie Prefecture
have been purchasing capsules called isolators to be used when suspected SARS
patients are moved, and they have conducted drills on how to use them with volunteers
playing the role of patients.
In May a foreign traveler who had been to Japan was found to be infected with
SARS. When this was discovered, the government and local authorities quickly implemented
emergency measures, as a result of which no secondary infections occurred. According
to a survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun, 28 local
governments out of the 47 prefectures and 13 major cities in Japan, nearly half
the total, were rethinking their plans to cope with a potential SARS outbreak
in light of this news. Fukushima Prefecture decided to check whether visitors
from abroad have come from an area to which the World
Health Organization recommends postponing travel. It will also make use of
the local hotels association to determine the previous whereabouts of such guests.
Kagawa Prefecture, meanwhile, which had previously only planned for people who
had come in close contact with SARS patients, defined as having been within 2
meters, has created an action plan for checking on people who have had even a
low possibility of coming in contact with a carrier.
Public and Private Sectors Taking Action
The Japanese government is stepping up its efforts to take rapid, nationwide measures
to prevent SARS infection. The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has accelerated
revision of the Infectious Disease Law, for example. And while local governments
are the first line of defense in tracking the path of infection and following
up on people who may have been exposed, the national government will become directly
involved in the event that infection spreads outside of a local area. Japan is
also actively engaged in international cooperation aimed at preventing the spread
The private sector has also been taking action to prevent
the spread of SARS and to reassure travelers. West
Japan Railway Co. (JR West) has set up a SARS-response headquarters and is
considering disinfecting affected carriages in the event that an infected person
is found to have been onboard a certain train at a certain time. The company also
decided to publicly release information on the time and route traveled by any
SARS patients. Orient Ferry, which runs a ferry route from Shimonoseki to China's
Qingdao, has since late April requested that all passengers and crew fill out
health questionnaires, and the company has trained staff for what to do in the
event that a passenger falls ill with SARS while onboard. The terminal in Qingdao,
the shuttle bus, and the inside of the ship are all disinfected every day.
Meanwhile, some companies have taken the step of postponing scheduled business
trips to affected areas, and, in response to requests by the government, airlines
and ship operators whose vessels operate in Japan are distributing health questionnaires
to their staff and passengers.
Japan has avoided SARS so far, and there is every reason to be confident that
the country will remain free of the disease. Even if an outbreak did occur, the
concerted efforts of local and national governments and private enterprises to
prepare for such an eventuality suggest that it would be handled quickly and efficiently.
Note: The government's "Measures upon Entry/Return to Japan" for travelers
heading to Japan can be found here. (http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/health_c/sars/measure0521.html)
Related Web Sites
the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare
World Health Organization
West Japan Railway Co. (JR West)
Copyright (c) 2004 Web Japan. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.
(November 19, 2002)
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(September 25, 2002)