Overview

• Japan’s Health Ministry announced on Sept. 26 that the WHO Western Pacific office recognized the country’s elimination status for rubella.
• The designation is based on surveillance showing no infections from a domestically circulating virus since 2021, though imported cases persist at roughly ten per year.
• Major outbreaks in 2018 and 2019 exceeded 2,000 cases annually, prompting an intensified national response.
• From fiscal 2019 to 2024, authorities offered antibody testing and free vaccination to men born between 1962 and 1979, raising antibody prevalence in that cohort from 81.1% to 89%.
• Officials emphasize continued vaccination and monitoring to guard against importations and protect pregnant women from congenital rubella syndrome.