Meningococcal disease outbreak related to the World Scout Jamboree in Japan, 2015.

Mizue Kanai,Takehito Saitoh,Kazunori Oishi,Hideyuki Takahashi,Tamano Matsui,Alison Smith-Palmer,Makoto Ohnishi,Tomimasa Sunagawa,Hajime Kamiya,Munehisa Fukusumi,Yushi Hachisu

doi:10.5365/wpsar.2016.7.3.007

Abstract

ProblemSix invasive meningococcal disease cases occurred among Scottish and Swedish nationals associated with the World Scout Jamboree (WSJ), an international mass gathering, held in Japan. The index case developed symptoms while returning home. The strains from all six cases were identical and seldom seen in Japan.ContextOver 33 000 participants from 155 countries attended WSJ. At the Jamboree site, participants of the North of Scotland’s and Sweden’s units camped within the same subcamp and kept the same schedule of events. No information was available about the Swedish and Scottish cases’ close personal contact history.ActionHealth Protection Scotland investigated Scottish cases, conducted active case finding, provided chemoprophylaxis, vaccinated close contacts and advised Scottish WSJ participants and contacts to seek medical care if they developed symptoms. The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommended chemoprophylaxis to all participants in Sweden. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) requested the Scout Association of Japan advise all participants to seek medical attention if they developed symptoms. MHLW shared information about the event with local authorities, medical associations, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.OutcomeNo additional case related to WSJ has been reported. This outbreak highlighted the risk for international spread of invasive meningococcal disease at international mass gatherings.DiscussionAssessing risk, educating participants, enhancing surveillance and sharing timely information among related countries are significant for prevention and response against invasive meningococcal disease outbreaks at mass gatherings.

Highlights

The 23rd World Scout Jamboree (WSJ), held in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, from 28 July to 8 August 2015, was a mass gathering in which over 33 000 participants attended from 155 countries
This paper summarizes the experience and lessons learnt from the invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) outbreak in the mass-gathering setting in Japan
The attack rate (AR) reported in the 23rd WSJ (240.4 cases per 100 000 in Ishizuchi subcamp and 19.5 per 100 000 for all WSJ) far exceeded the annual incidence rate in Japan in 2014 (0.03 per 100 000 population),[5] which was lower than that for the United States of America (0.3 per 100 000 population in 2009), Europe (0.9 per 100 000 population in 2009) and Australia (1.2 per 100 000 population in 2009).[8]

Summary

Introduction

The 23rd World Scout Jamboree (WSJ), held in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, from 28 July to 8 August 2015, was a mass gathering in which over 33 000 participants attended from 155 countries. Six cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) related to WSJ, including three scouts and one parent from Scotland and two scouts from Sweden, were reported by public health agencies in the United Kingdom and Sweden after WSJ had ended.

Results

Conclusion