Japan’s history of bitter vaccines creates an obstacle in the fight against COVID-19

With agreements to secure more coronavirus vaccines than it needs and legislation to distribute it for free, it may appear that Japan has its inoculation plans. Still, a tense public record with vaccines and a prudent approval process worries how quickly the country can return to normalcy.

According to a Lancet study, Japan has one of the lowest confidence rates in vaccines in the world, which found that less than 30% of people strongly agreed that vaccines were safe, important and effective, compared with at least 50% of Americans. A recent NHK survey found that 36% said they did not want to take a COVID-19 vaccine.

The government is now facing a complicated balancing act: trying to move quickly to pass the blows in order to get the economy back to full health, while avoiding creating the impression of a quick job, which could help to turn an already skeptical audience into inoculation. .

“Japan is very cautious about vaccines, because historically there have been problems about possible side effects,” said Haruka Sakamoto, a public health researcher at the University of Tokyo. “The government has been involved in several lawsuits related to the issue, which adds to its deep caution.”

Prudent chronology

The skeptical attitude predates the most recent Western “anti-vax” sentiment that has thrived on social media, with its roots in past vaccine-related events and legal rulings that encouraged the government to take a passive stance on to vaccination.

And, ironically, Japan’s relative success in handling the pandemic means that the urgent release of the shot is less of a priority. The country has avoided a second state of emergency, although cases have risen to record levels.

As a result, implementation in Japan will be slower than some other nations, which has caused frustration among those who have vaccines to eradicate the virus. So far, only Pfizer Inc. has requested local approval for its coronavirus trait, although the UK and US have administered more than half a million doses, mainly to the elderly and health workers.

Local media have reported that vaccines will be rolled out in Japan in late February, when the government plans to inoculate some 10,000 front-line health workers. The ministry is then preparing to vaccinate the general medical staff, and then it will be gradually administered to the general population. Japan has not said so when it intends to complete its vaccination program.

Although figures such as US Vice President Mike Pence and President-elect Joe Biden have gotten the dose and leaders such as Indonesian President Joko Widodo are volunteering to be the first to receive it in their countries, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said he will wait his turn.

Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said on Friday that she had asked the relevant bodies to prioritize the review of Pfizer’s application, but did not give a timetable for approval. A health ministry spokesman also declined to comment on the reported schedule.

MMR problems

The discomfort of modern Japan vaccine has its roots in an inoculation against measles, mumps, and rubella, which some suspected would lead to higher rates of aseptic meningitis in the early 1990s. Although no definitive link was established, the firing was interrupted and to date, Japan does not recommend a combined MMR firing.

Another catalyst was a 1992 court ruling that not only held the government responsible for vaccine-related adverse reactions, but also stipulated that suspicious side effects would be considered adverse events, said Tetsuo Nakayama, professor of ‘Kitasato Institute of Life Sciences, focuses on vaccines. Two years later, the government revised a vaccination law, eliminating mandatory vaccinations.

These events helped send a message that inoculations should be taken at one’s own risk and diluted awareness of vaccination as a greater public benefit, said Mikihito Tanaka, a professor at Waseda University who specializes in scientific communication.

“Japan has a strong health insurance system and an accessible medical system,” he said. “Compared to places like the United States, this makes the incentive to bet on health with a new vaccine very low.”

Manipulation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine also appears in public memory. Following media coverage of the claims, vaccine side effects included headaches and severe seizures, the health ministry in 2013 withdrew its recommendation on the shot, which has been shown to be safe and effective in preventing neck cancer. uterine. Although it remained available on request, the vaccination rate dropped from 70% to less than 1% today. According to one study, this may have caused an additional 5,700 deaths.

“Extensive shows”

Japan’s drug approvals require clinical trials with Japanese, but emergency authorization based on data from other countries is allowed. The 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic vaccines received emergency approval after about three months of review.

However, the government will have to carefully manage how the public perceives a rapid approval process. The economic impact of the pandemic and the upcoming Tokyo Olympics could lead to faster approval, but it would also raise suspicions about whether the shots have been thoroughly verified.

Nakayama said the way the public will perceive some typical side effects is also worrisome. Initial vaccine data show local pain in 80% of cases and fatigue and headaches up to 50%, but “there has never been a vaccine in Japan that has caused reactions at these levels,” he said. The issue raises questions since, ultimately, public opinion will decide the size of the release.

“The final decision on whether or not to receive the vaccine will be made by the people,” Health Minister Tamura said on Friday.