著者

Nobumasa Okumura Shinya Tsuzuki Sho Saito Tomoya Saito Satoshi Takasago Masayuki Hojo Noriko Iwamoto Norio Ohmagari

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2021.01124, (Released:2021-12-30)

参考文献数

11

被引用文献数

6

---

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant has spread rapidly worldwide. We report the clinical characteristics and threshold cycle (Ct) values of the first 11 patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Japan. All patients were younger returnees from abroad; 10 patients had received two doses of vaccine. Estimated Ct values for the 11 patients were 6.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.2-7.3) days for > 30, 10.6 (95% CI 9.5-11.9) days for > 35, 15.1 (95% CI 13.6-17.6) days for > 40, and 19.7 (95% CI 17.3-23.7)days for > 45. Our results provide important insights for indicators of infection control.

著者

Akihiro Matsunaga Shinya Tsuzuki Shinichiro Morioka Norio Ohmagari Yukihito Ishizaka

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2022.01013, (Released:2022-04-06)

参考文献数

100

被引用文献数

1

---

Even after recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), patients can experience prolonged complaints, referred to as "long COVID". Similar to reports in Caucasians, a follow-up study in Japan revealed that fatigue, dyspnea, cough, anosmia/dysgeusia, and dyssomnia are common symptoms. Although the precise mode of long COVID remains elusive, multiple etiologies such as direct organ damage by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), autoimmunity, prolonged inflammatory reactions, and psychiatric impairment seem to be involved. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 is neurotropic, and viral RNA and proteins are continuously detectable in multiple organs, including the brain. Viral proteins exert a number of different toxic effects on cells, suggesting that persistent infection is a key element for understanding long COVID. Here, we first reviewed the current status of long COVID in Japan, and then summarized literature that help us understand the molecular background of the symptoms. Finally, we discuss the feasibility of vaccination as a treatment for patients with long COVID.

著者

Kayoko Hayakawa Satoshi Kutsuna Takeo Kawamata Yuko Sugiki Chiharu Nonaka Keiko Tanaka Michi Shoji Masaki Nagai Shunsuke Tezuka Kazuyuki Shinya Hiroki Saito Takahiro Harada Nin Moriya Motoyuki Tsuboi Masataro Norizuki Yasuo Sugiura Yasuyo Osanai Masaya Sugiyama Ayako Okuhama Kohei Kanda Yuji Wakimoto Mugen Ujiie Shinichiro Morioka Kei Yamamoto Noriko Kinoshita Masahiro Ishikane Sho Saito Yuki Moriyama Masayuki Ota Keiji Nakamura Takato Nakamoto Satoshi Ide Hidetoshi Nomoto Yutaro Akiyama Tetsuya Suzuki Yusuke Miyazato Yoshiaki Gu Nobuaki Matsunaga Shinya Tsuzuki Yumiko Fujitomo Yoshiki Kusama Hiroyuki Shichino Masao Kaneshige Junko Yamanaka Miki Saito Masayuki Hojo Masao Hashimoto Shinyu Izumi Jin Takasaki Manabu Suzuki Keita Sakamoto Yukio Hiroi Sakurako Emoto Makoto Tokuhara Toshiaki Kobayashi Koichiro Tomiyama Fumihiko Nakamura Norio Ohmagari Haruhito Sugiyama

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.2, no.2, pp.107-111, 2020-04-30 (Released:2020-05-10)

参考文献数

11

被引用文献数

25

---

Due to the significant spread of a new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19) in China, the Chinese government blockaded several cities in Hubei Province. Japanese citizens lost a means of transportation to return back to Japan. The National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) helped the operation of charter flights for evacuation of Japanese residents from Hubei Province, and this article outlines our experiences. A total of five charter flights were dispatched, and the majority of returnees (793/829 [95.7%]) were handled at NCGM. A large number of personnel from various departments participated in this operation; 107 physicians, 115 nurses, 110 clerical staff, and 45 laboratory technicians in total. Several medical translators were also involved. In this operation, we conducted airborne precautions in addition to contact precautions. Eye shields were also used. The doctors collecting the pharyngeal swab used a coverall to minimize the risk of body surface contamination from secretions and droplets. Enhanced hand hygiene using alcohol hand sanitizer was performed. Forty-eight persons were ultimately hospitalized after the triage at NCGM operation, which was more than the number of persons triaged at the airport (n = 34). Of those hospitalized after NCGM triage, 8.3% (4/48 patients) ultimately tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, significantly higher than the positive rate among subjects not triaged (4/48 [8.3%] vs. 9/745 [1.2%]: p = 0.0057). NCGM participated in a large-scale operation to evacuate Japanese nationals from the COVID-19 epidemic area. We were able to establish a scheme through this experience that can be used in the future.

著者

Mugen Ujiie Shinya Tsuzuki Michiyo Suzuki Masayuki Ota Tetsuya Suzuki Hidetoshi Nomoto Kei Yamamoto Sho Saito Akatsuki Kokaze Noriko Kinoshita

出版者

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases Editorial Committee

雑誌

Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases (ISSN:13446304)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.74, no.5, pp.399-404, 2021-09-30 (Released:2021-09-22)

参考文献数

18

被引用文献数

6

---

Tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine is generally used for booster vaccination of infants in Europe and the United States to avoid increased reactogenicity after diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccination. However, Japan has extended the use of additional DTaP vaccination without reducing the antigen dose for diphtheria and pertussis in adolescents and adults, despite limited reports on its safety in adults. This prospective, observational, questionnaire-based study investigated the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) following DTaP vaccination between June 2018 and June 2019 in participants aged 10 years or older. Of the 250 eligible participants, 235 (94%) responded regarding AEs. Among them, 133 (56.6%) reported AEs, of which 39 reported systemic AEs (16.6%) and 120 reported local AEs (51.1%) attributed to DTaP vaccination. The incidence of local AEs was markedly higher with DTaP vaccination than with non-DTaP vaccination (51.1% vs. 10.5%), and AEs appeared later (P < 0.01) and lasted longer (P < 0.01) with DTaP vaccination. However, more than 75% of these AEs resolved within 7 days. DTaP vaccination was not associated with any serious AEs. These results indicate that the DTaP vaccine can be widely used as a booster in adults as an alternative to the Tdap vaccine.

著者

Mugen Ujiie Shinya Tsuzuki Michiyo Suzuki Masayuki Ota Tetsuya Suzuki Hidetoshi Nomoto Kei Yamamoto Sho Saito Akatsuki Kokaze Noriko Kinoshita

出版者

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases Editorial Committee

雑誌

Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases (ISSN:13446304)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.JJID.2020.947, (Released:2021-01-29)

参考文献数

18

被引用文献数

6

---

Tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine is generally used for booster vaccination in Europe and the United States to avoid increased reactogenicity after diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccination in infants. However, Japan has extended the use of additional DTaP vaccination without reducing the antigen dose for diphtheria and pertussis to adolescents and adults despite limited reports on its safety in adults. This prospective observational questionnaire-based study investigated the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) following DTaP vaccination between June 2018 and June 2019 in participants aged 10 years or older. Of 250 eligible participants, 235 (94%) responded regarding AEs. Of these 235 participants, 133 (56.6%) reported AEs, with 39 reporting systemic AEs (16.6%) and 120 reporting local AEs (51.1%) attributed to DTaP vaccination. The incidence of local AEs was much higher with DTaP than with non-DTaP vaccinations (51.1% vs. 10.2%), and the AEs appeared later (p<0.01) and lasted longer (p<0.01) with DTaP vaccination. However, more than 75% of these AEs resolved within 7 days. DTaP vaccination was not associated with any serious AEs. These results indicate that the DTaP vaccine can be widely used as a booster in adults as an alternative to the Tdap vaccine.

著者

Yumi Matsushita Tetsuji Yokoyama Kayoko Hayakawa Nobuaki Matsunaga Hiroshi Ohtsu Sho Saito Mari Terada Setsuko Suzuki Shinichiro Morioka Satoshi Kutsuna Shinya Tsuzuki Hisao Hara Akio Kimura Norio Ohmagari

出版者

Japan Epidemiological Association

雑誌

Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.33, no.1, pp.38-44, 2023-01-05 (Released:2023-01-05)

参考文献数

27

---

Background: Prioritization for novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related health policies usually considers age and certain other characteristics, but sex is rarely included, despite the higher risk of severe disease in men. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of sex and age on the severity of COVID-19 by estimating the age difference in years for which the risk for men versus women is the same.Methods: We analyzed 23,414 Japanese COVID-19 inpatients aged 20–89 years (13,360 men and 10,054 women). We graded the severity of COVID-19 (0 to 5) according to the most intensive treatment required during hospitalization. The risk of grade 2/3/4/5 (non-invasive positive pressure ventilation/invasive mechanical ventilation/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/death), grade 3/4/5, and separately grade 5 was analyzed using a multiple logistic regression model.Results: The odds ratio (OR) of grades 2/3/4/5, 3/4/5 (primary outcome), and 5 for men relative to women was 2.76 (95% CI, 2.44–3.12), 2.78 (95% CI, 2.42–3.19), and 2.60 (95% CI, 2.23–3.03), respectively, after adjustment for age and date of admission. These risks for men were equivalent to those for women 14.1 (95% CI, 12.3–15.8), 11.2 (95% CI, 9.7–12.8), and 7.5 (95% CI, 6.3–8.7) years older, respectively.Conclusion: The risks of worse COVID-19 prognosis (grades 3/4/5) in men were equivalent to those of women 11.2 years older. Reanalyzing data extracted from four previous studies also revealed a large impact of sex difference on the severity of COVID-19. We should pay more attention to sex differences to predict the risk of COVID-19 severity and to formulate public health policy accordingly.

著者

Kayoko Hayakawa Satoshi Kutsuna Takeo Kawamata Yuko Sugiki Chiharu Nonaka Keiko Tanaka Michi Shoji Masaki Nagai Shunsuke Tezuka Kazuyuki Shinya Hiroki Saito Takahiro Harada Nin Moriya Motoyuki Tsuboi Masataro Norizuki Yasuo Sugiura Yasuyo Osanai Masaya Sugiyama Ayako Okuhama Kohei Kanda Yuji Wakimoto Mugen Ujiie Shinichiro Morioka Kei Yamamoto Noriko Kinoshita Masahiro Ishikane Sho Saito Yuki Moriyama Masayuki Ota Keiji Nakamura Takato Nakamoto Satoshi Ide Hidetoshi Nomoto Yutaro Akiyama Tetsuya Suzuki Yusuke Miyazato Yoshiaki Gu Nobuaki Matsunaga Shinya Tsuzuki Yumiko Fujitomo Yoshiki Kusama Hiroyuki Shichino Masao Kaneshige Junko Yamanaka Miki Saito Masayuki Hojo Masao Hashimoto Shinyu Izumi Jin Takasaki Manabu Suzuki Keita Sakamoto Yukio Hiroi Sakurako Emoto Makoto Tokuhara Toshiaki Kobayashi Koichiro Tomiyama Fumihiko Nakamura Norio Ohmagari Haruhito Sugiyama

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2020.01036, (Released:2020-04-29)

参考文献数

11

被引用文献数

25

---

Due to the significant spread of a new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection (COVID-19) in China, the Chinese government blockaded several cities in Hubei Province. Japanese citizens lost a means of transportation to return back to Japan. The National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) helped the operation of charter flights for evacuation of Japanese residents from Hubei Province, and this article outlines our experiences. A total of five charter flights were dispatched, and the majority of returnees (793/829 [95.7%]) were handled at NCGM. A large number of personnel from various departments participated in this operation; 107 physicians, 115 nurses, 110 clerical staff, and 45 laboratory technicians in total. Several medical translators were also involved. In this operation, we conducted airborne precautions in addition to contact precautions. Eye shields were also used. The doctors collecting the pharyngeal swab used a coverall to minimize the risk of body surface contamination from secretions and droplets. Enhanced hand hygiene using alcohol hand sanitizer was performed. Forty-eight persons were ultimately hospitalized after the triage at NCGM operation, which was more than the number of persons triaged at the airport (n = 34). Of those hospitalized after NCGM triage, 8.3% (4/48 patients) ultimately tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, significantly higher than the positive rate among subjects not triaged (4/48 [8.3%] vs. 9/745 [1.2%]: p = 0.0057). NCGM participated in a large-scale operation to evacuate Japanese nationals from the COVID-19 epidemic area. We were able to establish a scheme through this experience that can be used in the future.

著者

Hiroki Saito Takanori Funaki Kazuhiro Kamata Kazuhiko Ide Sachiko Nakamura Yasunori Ichimura Kazuaki Jindai Takeshi Nishijima Rieko Takahashi McLellan Chiori Kodama Jun Sugihara Shinya Tsuzuki Mugen Ujiie Hiroyuki Noda Kazunari Asanuma

出版者

National Center for Global Health and Medicine

雑誌

Global Health & Medicine (ISSN:24349186)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.2019.01032, (Released:2020-01-27)

参考文献数

11

被引用文献数

1

---

In 2015, Japan created a unique governmental program to train experts in health emergencies called Infectious Disease Emergency Specialist (IDES). This is a concept paper to set out the goal and structure of the program, and to describe the achievement and the way forward to further contribute to global health security. The IDES program background, mission, structure, achievement, and future directions were reviewed and discussed by the IDES trainees, graduates, and program coordinators/supervisors. Since 2015, thirteen Japanese medical doctors have graduated from the program while five are currently in training. The IDES core competencies were identified in the context of a wide range of skillsets required for health emergencies. A large national and global network has been created through the training. Coordinated work with surge capacity of experts is of paramount importance to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. The IDES program can be a good model to many other governments, and contribute to global health security.

著者

Yumi Matsushita Tetsuji Yokoyama Kayoko Hayakawa Nobuaki Matsunaga Hiroshi Ohtsu Sho Saito Mari Terada Setsuko Suzuki Shinichiro Morioka Satoshi Kutsuna Shinya Tsuzuki Hisao Hara Akio Kimura Norio Ohmagari

出版者

Japan Epidemiological Association

雑誌

Journal of Epidemiology (ISSN:09175040)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.JE20220056, (Released:2022-07-16)

参考文献数

27

---

Background: Prioritization for novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related health policies usually considers age and certain other characteristics, but sex is rarely included, despite the higher risk of severe disease in men. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of sex and age on the severity of COVID-19 by estimating the age difference in years for which the risk for men versus women is the same.Methods: We analyzed 23,414 Japanese COVID-19 inpatients aged 20–89 years (13,360 men and 10,054 women). We graded the severity of COVID-19 (0 to 5) according to the most intensive treatment required during hospitalization. The risk of grade 2/3/4/5 (non-invasive positive pressure ventilation/invasive mechanical ventilation/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/death), grade 3/4/5, and separately grade 5 was analyzed using a multiple logistic regression model.Results: The odds ratio (OR) of grades 2/3/4/5, 3/4/5 (primary outcome), and 5 for men relative to women was 2.76 (95% CI, 2.44–3.12), 2.78 (95% CI, 2.42–3.19), and 2.60 (95% CI, 2.23–3.03), respectively, after adjustment for age and date of admission. These risks for men were equivalent to those for women 14.1 (95% CI, 12.3–15.8), 11.2 (95% CI, 9.7–12.8), and 7.5 (95% CI, 6.3–8.7) years older, respectively.Conclusion: The risks of worse COVID-19 prognosis (grades 3/4/5) in men were equivalent to those of women 11.2 years older. Reanalyzing data extracted from four previous studies also revealed a large impact of sex difference on the severity of COVID-19. We should pay more attention to sex differences to predict the risk of COVID-19 severity and to formulate public health policy accordingly.