A teenage girl from Saitama Prefecture has been confirmed positive for the mosquito borne virus, dengue fever. The case is being called an autochthonous, or locally acquired case, the first such case seen in Japan in more than 60 years.
Japan Today reports, Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga, in confirming the report, said Wednesday that the news was not cause for alarm because the illness is not transmitted directly from person to person.
Japan sees scores of imported dengue cases annually from travelers to endemic areas. In 2013, they reported 249 cases.
Related: Japan: Imported Zika virus reported in traveler to Thailand
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.
People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.
6 thoughts on “Dengue fever: 1st locally acquired case reported in Japan in more than six decades”