百ひゃく日にちせき 全国ぜんこくで乳児にゅうじ4人にん死亡しぼう “ワクチン接種せっしゅ 家庭かていでの対策たいさくを”

As the outbreak of whooping cough continues, NHK has learned that at least four infants nationwide have become seriously ill and died after being infected so far this year.

Specialist doctors say, As the number of infected people increases, the number of children who become seriously ill is also rising.

In addition to prompt vaccination, it is calling for the importance of infection prevention measures at home.

Pertussis is a bacterial infection that causes persistent severe coughing, and if infants under six months old become infected, there is a risk of serious illness or even death.

When NHK interviewed medical institutions across the country, it was found that at least four infants nationwide have contracted whooping cough and developed severe symptoms so far this year. Despite receiving treatments such as ECMO extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, they passed away.

According to the National Institute of Health Crisis Management, since they began compiling statistics using the current method in 2018, the highest number of deaths was two in 2020, but as of the end of June this year, that number has already been surpassed.

The infants who died were less than one month to four months old and lived in Tokyo, Hyogo, Aichi, and Gunma prefectures. Of these, two had not yet received their regular vaccinations, including the whooping cough vaccine.

At the Gunma Prefectural Childrens Medical Center, where a two-month-old infant passed away, there had been no patients hospitalized for whooping cough in recent years, but this year, three children have already been admitted. Dr. Akihiko Shimizu, head of the Infectious Diseases Department, expressed a sense of crisis, saying, As the number of infected people increases, more children are becoming seriously ill.

Director Shimizu said, In order to prevent severe illness, it is important to promptly receive routine vaccinations as soon as the baby turns two months old.

Furthermore, it is believed that in many cases, babies who have no immunity are infected by their family members. Therefore, if you have symptoms such as a cough, please take infection prevention measures such as avoiding contact with the baby or wearing a mask.