Measles cases are spreading in Okinawa, with the reported number of patients exceeding 90 in just over a month, prompting the prefecture last month to warn that visiting the resort islands may be not advisable for infants and pregnant women.
The measles outbreak is believed to have started when a Taiwanese man was diagnosed with the viral disease on March 20 while visiting the prefecture. It had quickly grown from that single measles case to 91 cases as of Thursday, according to the Okinawa Prefectural Government. One case has been reported on a U.S. military base in the prefecture.
The outbreak has now reached Aichi Prefecture, after a local teenager was diagnosed with measles following a trip to Okinawa last month. A total of 17 measles cases were reported by Saturday, including 12 people who happened to be at a hospital when the teenager visited, according to the Aichi Prefectural Government.