Cases of hand, foot and mouth disease have been rising in Miyagi Prefecture for 6 weeks straight, with more than 90% of cases occurring in children under 9 years of age. Call for measures such as hand washing (10/24/03, 12:04).

Last week, the number of confirmed cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in Miyagi Prefecture increased for the sixth week in a row and remains at a high alarm level. The number of confirmed hand, foot and mouth disease patients in the prefecture in the week ending Sept. 29 was 19.29 per health facility, up 3.2 from the previous week, an increase for the sixth consecutive week, according to prefectural data. By age group, more than 90% of the cases were under the age of 9, and the prefecture continues to issue warnings throughout the prefecture and urge people to take measures such as hand washing. On the other hand, the number of patients infected with the new coronavirus was 5.98 per health facility, declining for the third week in a row.