Local media reported that the spread of syphilis in Japan is at a level of concern about ‘medical collapse’ due to the lack of venereal disease specialists.
According to the trend of infectious diseases announced weekly by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, the number of infections so far this year has been 8,349, Nikkan Gendai reported on the 10th. This is an increase of 1964 cases (30.7%) from 6385 during the same period last year.
Among Japan’s 47 prefectures (wide-area groups), there was no area where there was no new syphilis patient this year, and Tokyo, the capital city, recorded the highest number of cases, with 2,052 cases.
If this trend continues, it is expected to reach 17,000 cases by the end of the year, about 4,000 more than the total number of infections last year (12,966). Compared to 1,220 cases in 2013, this is an increase of more than 13 times in 10 years.
On the other hand, the media raised the possibility of collapse of the medical system related to sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, saying that there are only 479 venereal disease specialists nationwide who can respond to this.
Director Yasuhiko Onoe, an elder member of the Japan Society of Sexual Infectious Diseases and who runs a medical institution specializing in sexually transmitted diseases, said, “The rapid increase in new infections of syphilis is out of control. Syphilis has now become a situation where it is no longer an unusual disease not only in the entertainment districts and surrounding areas of large cities, but also in rural areas,” he said. In Tokyo, as many as 2052 cases have been reported,” he expressed concern.
Accordingly, Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo, expressed her will to strengthen the screening system for early detection of syphilis infection at a press conference on the 4th.
At the inspection center in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Japan’s top entertainment district, ‘same-day inspection’ will be conducted once a month on a public holiday starting next month, where only women will be tested and the results will be notified immediately. This is because syphilis is spreading rapidly among young women in recent years. In addition, infection in pregnant women not only causes miscarriage or stillbirth, but also the risk of congenital syphilis in the unborn baby cannot be ruled out. Some regional prosecutors and counseling offices plan to open tests on both Saturdays and Sundays from the 13th.
However, compared to the rapid infection rate, the biggest problem is that there are less than 500 skilled medical staff with treatment experience and expertise in prefectures across Japan.
There are 479 venereal disease specialists registered on the website of the Japan Society for Sexual Infectious Diseases, most of which are concentrated in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo and Osaka. Four prefectures, including Wakayama, Kochi, Miyazaki and Kagoshima, have only one venereal disease specialist, and Iwate, Tottori, Shimane, and Yamaguchi have only two. In Yamanashi Prefecture, which has a population of about 846,000, there is not a single person at all.
In addition, Tokyo, which has the highest number of syphilis patients in the country, seems to have a large number of specialists at 89, but even considering the number of new infections this year, the number of patients per doctor reaches 23, which is not easy.
Dr. Onoe said, “Not only syphilis, but also other sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise. I am concerned that there will be a ‘medical collapse’ in which patients with sexually transmitted diseases cannot receive treatment even if they want to.”
To make matters worse, the fact that venereal disease specialists with long experience leave the medical field due to the aging population also serves as a cause of the shortage of medical staff.
In fact, an elderly doctor who has been treating sexually transmitted diseases for a long time in an entertainment district in Tokyo is set to close down and retire this fall. The hospital has established itself as the center of treatment for sexually transmitted diseases in the region, attracting many patients.
A patient who has used this hospital said, “He was a good doctor who had a lot of experience in diagnosing and treating sexually transmitted diseases, but also understood my job well.” It was reported to the media.
Director Onoe pointed out, “It is not easy to have a system that can treat rapidly increasing patients with sexually transmitted diseases,” and “in the end, we have no choice but to focus on prevention.”
However, for the early detection of syphilis, the Japan Society of Sexually Transmitted Infectious Diseases grants to members who have acquired expertise in sexually transmitted diseases, such as pharmacists, health teachers, and nurses. The local medical community is concerned that it is difficult to inform and prevent the rapidly increasing risk of syphilis with these alone.
Regarding this, Director Onoe said, “As it is a private disease, there are not a few medical personnel who think that it is necessary to explain with pictures or videos. not delivered In order to respond to the rapidly growing threat of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, it is necessary to publicize these issues.”메이저놀이터