Ann Infect Dis Epidemiol | Volume 5, Issue 2 | Review Article | Open Access
Shuzo Shintani
Department of Neurology, JA Toride Medical Center, Japan
*Correspondance to: Shuzo Shintani
Fulltext PDFNow, COVID-19 pandemic has involved almost of the countries in the World. But, the total cases and total deaths are markedly different from each country. Why are there fewer people with COVID-19 infections and deaths in Japan, and more in Europe and America? COVID-19 has the characteristic of having a strong infectious capacity before the onset or in the asymptomatic stage. In consideration of this characteristic and to prevent the infection from asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 carriers (infected persons), the only way is to take standard precautions in daily life, assuming that all others around oneself are infected. First, in Japan, when returning home from the outside, we first take off our shoes at the front door, then change into the home clothes which means we do not bring objects from outside into our homes. In addition, after the rise of COVID-19, washing hands and gargling have become another standard custom. Second, compared to Western countries, Japanese culture does not consist of bodily contact, such as hugging, kissing or shaking hands. Wearing a mask has become a custom of Japan and has become a standard precaution, not just for COVID-19, but for protection against any pathogens. Third, Japanese people are very hygienic with a high degree of interest in public health. Also, the medical insurance system has been the standard, makes it easier to have access to hospitals and has a high medical degree. These reasons lead to become few patients in Japan compared with the west.
COVID-19 pandemic; Asymptomatic transmission infection; Asymptomatic SARSCoV- 2 carriers; Standard precaution; Japanese life style
Shintani S. Japan’s Mysterious Pandemic Success: Why the COVID-19 Total Cases and Total Deaths in Japan are Unexpectedly Very Few Compared with Europe and USA. Ann Infect Dis Epidemiol. 2020; 5(2): 1056.