A: Yo, Sakura! You heard about the news?

B: No, what's up, Hiroshi?

A: Well, seems like whooping cough cases in Japan are on a roll! It's hit a new high for three weeks straight.

B: Whoa, really? What's whooping cough again?

A: It's that harsh coughing disease, and it can be dangerous for babies under six months. Scary stuff!

B: Ooh, I see. So, how many cases are we talking about now?

A: They reported 3,578 last week, which is the highest since 2018. Tokyo had 277 alone!

B: That's a lot! Which prefectures were next?

A: Saitama, Gunma, Kanagawa, Ibaraki, Hyogo, Chiba, and Niigata followed closely behind.

B: Yikes! How many cases for this whole year so far?

A: Almost 44,000 already! And there have been reports of infants dying or getting really sick from it.

B: That's terrible... At least four babies have died by the end of June in Tokyo and other prefectures.

A: Yeah, it's sad. On top of that, many regions are reporting infections with drug-resistant bacteria.

B: We should tell our friends to get their babies vaccinated then.

A: Absolutely! The Japan Pediatric Society suggests getting infants vaccinated as soon as they turn 2 months old. Let's spread the word, okay?
----------------

Weekly cases of whooping cough in Japan have hit a new high for the third straight week. The infectious bacterial disease is characterized by severe, persistent coughing, and can be fatal for infants up to 6 months old.



The Japan Institute for Health Security says 3,578 cases were reported from medical institutions across the nation in the week through July 6.



That is up 225 from the previous week, and the highest since the current method of recordkeeping began in 2018.



Tokyo had 277 cases. By prefecture, it was followed by 254 in Saitama, 176 in Gunma, 171 in Kanagawa, 165 each in Ibaraki and Hyogo, 154 in Chiba, and 150 in Niigata.



The total number of cases for this year so far is 43,728.



There have been reports this season of infants dying or falling seriously ill from whooping cough.



At least four infants, between less than 1 month and 4 months old, had reportedly died by the end of June in Tokyo and three other prefectures.



Medical institutions in many regions have reported infections involving drug-resistant bacteria.



The Japan Pediatric Society is calling on parents to have infants vaccinated immediately after they turn 2 months old.