The present situation of prophylactic vaccination in Japan for travel abroad

摘要

The current situation of vaccination in Japan is reviewed from a viewpoint of overseas travelers.Vaccinations before travel to developing countries, where the risk of infection is high, are recommended for two reasons: "individual protection" and "prevention of communicable disease importation". However, there are problems in Japan; some vaccines available commonly in foreign nations are not approved in Japan and the vaccination schedule is not convenient for travelers.Vaccination is sometimes needed also for travel to Europe and North America. This is because certain vaccinations are required for entering school or studying abroad. In Japan, there is no regulation which recommends vaccination as an entrance requirement. Compared with other nations, Japanese children receive fewer vaccines routinely.On the other hand, there are different features from other industrialized nations, such as routine childhood BCG vaccination and immunization against Japanese encephalitis in Japan.Compared with foreign nations, awareness as regards "travel medicine" is lower in Japan. Recognizing this situation will lead to improvement of vaccination of travelers.