Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control

Japanese

Promote the prevention of healthcare-associated infections

一般のみなさまへ

Message from the President

Last Update:Dec 6, 2023

Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control
President Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi

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Striving to Develop Infection Prevention and Control

 First, please allow me to briefly introduce myself. My name is Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi. I am from the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Tokyo, and on this occasion I have been appointed as the 10th president of the Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control (JSIPC) as the successor to former President Masaki Yoshida.
 This year marks the 37th anniversary of the establishment of JSIPC. Our organization has carried out a broad range of activities over these past three-plus decades, of which more noteworthy undertakings are listed on our official website. For those who are interested, I encourage you to visit our website for more details.
 Former President Masaki Yoshida was initially inaugurated in 2019, the same year that went down in history as the year when the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) first emerged and started a worldwide pandemic. Shortly after He succeeded the position of president, he became involved in the Novel Coronavirus Expert Meeting together with Dr. Kazuhiro Tateda. JSIPC has also held emergency seminars at the 35th Annual Meeting of Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control in 2020 (President Keiji Kanemitsu), as well as special events and other activities that widely provided medical professionals and the general public with knowledge about COVID-19 and measures for preventing infection.
 I think it's safe to say that Japan hasn't experienced a true pandemic since the Spanish flu. In other words, we as a nation were defenseless when we were hit with the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite being the country with the highest ratio of elderly people in the world, we were able to curb the number of infections and severe cases better than other developed countries. There are many reasons for this, but I think one of the major factors is the fact that many healthcare professionals complied with measures to prevent the spread of infections, and that basic infection control measures had disseminated to the general public.
 One domain in which infection control plays a key role is in the forefront of disaster-stricken areas. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, we published the "Manual for Infection Control at Evacuation Centers" under the leadership of Dr. Toshiro Konishi and Dr. Mitsuo Kaku. In 2014, we published the "Guide to Infection Control Management in Areas Affected by Large-Scale Natural Disasters." Under the guidance of the Disaster Infection Control Committee, we also established a system to deal with infection control in the event of a disaster in cooperation with DMAT. Such experiences and preparations definitely helped with efforts to deal with the outbreak of COVID-19 aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in February 2020. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude and respect for the many JSIPC members who responded to that incident.
 We learned a lot from these experiences. One major issue is the importance of developing talent who will spearhead infection control efforts in local communities, and the importance of cooperating with local governments and the general public. Until now, JSIPC has significantly contributed to infection control and prevention in the medical field, as well as to preventing the spread of infectious diseases in local communities. We have also been engaged in various academic activities, but in the future, we would like to focus more on supporting local networking activities and are currently preparing for this. Our aim is to provide opportunities for many people, including not only medical professionals but also other people who have to deal with infectious diseases in various situations within society, to participate, learn about, and practice infection control measures in real-world situations.
 The world of infectious diseases is profoundly broad and deep, whether it be in basic, clinical, or social fields, but I think COVID-19 has taught us the importance of basic infection control measures and vaccinations to prevent the spread of infections. Basic infection control measures are applicable to countermeasures against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is considered to be the biggest issue we will face in the future, and since more new developments regarding vaccines for many infectious diseases will be made in the future, I believe this will bring about new developments in infectious disease prevention. JSIPC will work together with the public to promote basic infection control measures and strive to expand the research and practices of its members.
 I would like to encourage all members to stay active and continue their activities in the future, and I kindly request all stakeholders to continue to support and cooperate with JSIPC moving forward.

November 1, 2023

Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control
President Hiroshi Yotsuyanagi

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