Pneumonia has been a leading cause of death in Japan, notably because aspiration pneumonia is increasingly common in elderly people. As of 2014, the over-65s have been eligible for free, but non-mandatory vaccination against one form of pneumonia. Since 2017, mortality numbers have dramatically declined.
In 2018, pneumonia went from the third most common cause of death for Japanese of all ages to number five. The decline may be due to the way the Ministry of Health tabulates the data,
but the use of new medicines and widespread use of CT (computed tomography) scans to catch pneumonia early have certainly contributed to cutting fatalities.
When it comes to CT scanners, Japan may have the most diagnostic imaging devices in the world – the number per 100,000 people is 101. Australia, with 44, is a distant second. In addition, according to the Center for Disease Control, CT scanners are wonderfully adept at finding "ground glass opacities" – a technical term for hazy patches that indicate viral pneumonia, such as Covid-19.
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"Ask yourself, 'What is the value of wisdom when it brings no benefit to those who are the wiser?' Most of the infected will recover on their own, thanks to their own immune systems. We need to first take care of those whose immune systems are failing them, or the health care system itself will fail."
That appears to have kept the medical sector from being overwhelmed.
However, one tantalizing possibility – that the vaccination program for pneumonia which Japan has been enacting for the elderly since 2014 may be acting as a shield against Covid-19 – has not yet been scrutinized.
"Frankly, I have not considered it," said the official.
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