Japan is experiencing a significant increase in cases of severe fever syndrome with thrombocytopenia (SFTS), a tick-borne disease that can be fatal.
The number of infections has now surpassed the record annual rate recorded in 2025, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency, citing preliminary data from Japan's National Institute for Health and Safety.
It should be noted that the aforementioned syndrome is an acute disease accompanied by a high fever, a decrease in the number of white blood cells, a decrease in the number of platelets, and digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, as a result of infection with the SFTS virus.
According to figures recently released by the institute, the total number of confirmed cases as of June 7 was 72, compared to 68 cases during the same period last year, which saw the highest annual number ever recorded, with 192 infections.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Japanese Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno warned of the continued upward trend in infections, stressing: "The need to strengthen vigilance at the national level and closely monitor developments in the epidemiological situation."
The minister called on citizens to be especially careful during the spring and autumn seasons, when tick activity is at its peak, stressing the need to cover the skin when going to grassy areas, and to use insect repellents on cats and pet dogs.
The disease is mostly transmitted through tick bites, but it can also be transmitted through direct contact with the blood of infected people, whether humans or animals. After an incubation period of 6 to 14 days, symptoms of the disease begin to appear in patients, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and disturbance in the level of consciousness.
It is estimated that the mortality rate from this disease ranges between 10% and 30%, and although there is no vaccine against it yet, Japan has approved the use of an antiviral drug to treat those infected.
The first confirmed case of the disease in Japan was recorded in 2013, in a woman in Yamaguchi Prefecture in the west of the country.
The annual number of cases remained below one hundred until 2021, but exceeded this number in subsequent years.
The data indicates that the majority of infections are concentrated in the western regions of Japan compared to the eastern regions.
