ISTANBUL

Japan recorded a new weekly record of 3,353 whooping cough cases, the highest number since the current survey method was introduced in 2018, according to the Japan Institute for Health Security and reported by Kyodo News.

Since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded 39,672 cases of the illness, far surpassing the approximately 4,000 cases reported throughout all of 2024, according to preliminary figures from the Japan Institute for Health Security.

The most recent data covers the week of June 23–29. Since early April, hospitals and clinics across Japan have been reporting over 1,000 cases per week, the institute noted.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious respiratory infection marked by severe coughing fits. It can lead to serious complications — including pneumonia and encephalopathy — and poses a potentially fatal risk to infants and other vulnerable individuals.

Additionally, a separate health concern has emerged as eight people have died and 10,048 have been hospitalized for heatstroke in Japan last week, Jiji Press reported on Tuesday, citing Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management.

As temperatures climbed nationwide, the number of heatstroke cases more than doubled from 4,665 the previous week to 10,048, marking the first time weekly cases exceeded 10,000 since record-keeping began on May 1, 2025.