Japan is in the grip of rubella infections or German measles with the disease spreading rapidly, and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases reports that 5,442 people were diagnosed with rubella during January-April this year.
The infections are 34 times more than than that of the same period last year, the Institute said adding that the number of new infections had been rising by more than 500 per week since the beginning of April.
Nearly 90 percent of the patients are aged 20 or above, most of them men in their 20s to 40s or women in their 20s.
Health authorities are calling for caution, as babies born to women who contract the disease during early pregnancy may develop severe eye, ear or heart problems. Adults are urged to get vaccinated, as the disease is likely to peak around June, Japan's NHK broadcaster reported on Wednesday.
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