Health authorities are recommending travelers not cancel trips to Japan despite an outbreak of a rare but potentially deadly disease called “flesh-eating disease”. Although the number of cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is increasing at an alarming rate, officials have warned against panic.
They said basic measures such as washing hands, wearing a face mask and keeping wounds clean are effective in preventing infection. Concerns about travel to Japan peaked after reports in European media in March of a dangerous infectious disease spreading at a record pace. North Korea has canceled Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament scheduled for Pyongyang, citing epidemic prevention against the contagious disease spreading in Japan.
To reassure future visitors, a ministry official stressed that the World Health Organization does not recommend limiting travel to Europe in 2022, while cases of STSS have exploded there. STSS is a rare and serious form of infection caused by the bacteria streptococcus pyogenes, which usually causes acute pharyngitis, or strep throat, in childhood.
Cases tend to increase in April and May, when the new school term begins. The disease can quickly cause muscle tissue necrosis and multiple organ failure. Patients are mostly aged 30 and older, and about 30% of STSS cases end in death because symptoms can suddenly worsen.
Last year, according to preliminary figures cited by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan recorded a record 941 cases of infection. Until March 24 this year, 556 cases had already been reported across the country. Since the second half of 2023, the number of patients infected with a highly contagious variant of the pathogen circulating in Europe and the United States has increased, mainly in the Kanto region.
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