Japan reports 135 tick-borne illness cases in 2025
Japan has reported 135 cases of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), a potentially fatal tick-borne disease, so far in 2025, surpassing the previous record of 134 in 2023. Over 10 deaths have been confirmed. Mostly affecting the elderly, SFTS has a 10-30% fatality rate.