三十萬多福島居民會受終身甲状腺檢查追蹤

Recently the Mainichi News reported the following:
福島県は９日、東京電力福島第１原発事故に伴う県民健康管理調査の一環として、今年４月１日時点で１８歳以下の子供全員の甲状腺検査を福島市の県立医大病院で始めた。約３６万人を対象に生涯にわたって甲状腺をチェックする世界でも類を見ない調査となる。
　検査は１人５分程度で超音波を使い、複数の医師で診断し、結果は約１カ月後に通知。病変の恐れがあれば後日、採血や尿検査、細胞を採取する詳細検査を行う。初日は飯舘村と浪江町、川俣町山木屋地区の１４４人が検査を受け、２２人は県外の避難先から。１４年３月までに県内を一巡、その後は２年ごと、２０歳を超えると５年ごとに検査する。
　飯舘村から川俣町に避難している主婦、荒ちどりさん（４３）は５～１１歳の男の子４人を連れ来院。検査後、無邪気にはしゃぎ回る姿を見つめながら「なぜこんなことに」とやり切れない様子。マスク姿の高校１年の女子生徒（１６）も飯舘村から川俣町に避難。不満そうに「もっと早く検査してほしかった」。将来子供を産むことなどを考えて一人で思い悩むこともあるという。
　浪江町の主婦、小松きく江さん（３８）は小学生の一人息子（７）を連れ避難先の前橋市から訪れた。「４、５年先が心配。心は福島にあるけど、線量が高いので帰ろうとは思えない」と複雑な表情。１１カ月の男の子を抱き来院した主婦、高橋美幸さん（３４）は「少し安心した」と笑顔を見せながら「できる限りいろいろな検査をしてほしい」と訴えた。
(試譯文)
On the 9th, Fukushima Prefecture began the thyroid inspection on all children aged 18 and below as of April l this year in the prefecture medical college hospital in Fukushima; this was part of the people-of-the-prefecture health-care-administration investigation connected to the Number One nuclear power plant disaster of Tokyo Electric Power in Fukushima. It became an unprecedented investigation in the world which would check the thyroid gland covering the whole life for about 360,000 people.

The inspection would use ultrasonic wave for about 5 minutes, and diagnose it by two or more doctors, and notify the result in about one month. If there was a fear of pathological changes, blood collection, urinalysis, and detailed inspection that extracted cells would be conducted later. As for the first day, 144 people in Iitate-mura, Namie-cho, and the Yamakiya of Kawamatamachi area underwent the checking, 22 people were from refuge centers outside the prefecture. A full round would be completed within the prefecture by March 2014; thereafter inspection would be conducted every two years, and for those exceeding 20 years old, they would be checked once every five years.
A housewife Ms. Arichidori (43) from Iitate-maru taking up refuge in Kawamatamachi was accompanied by four boys aged 5 - 11-year-old when visited the hospital. After the inspection, it appeared that she could not help but pondering “why this has happened” while she was looking at the romping innocent children. Wearing a mask, a female student (16) at the tenth grade who took refuge in Kawamatamachi from Iitate-mura said in a dis-satisfied manner that "I hoped to have the inspection earlier". And it was said that to consider bearing a child in the future etc. would be privately a worrying matter.
A housewife Ms. Kikue Komatsu (38) of Namie-cho, accompanied by her son (7) who was in the primary school, made the visit from Maebashi where she took refuge. Showing complicated emotion she said that "Four to five years into the future is worrying. Although my heart is with Fukushima, I cannot think of returning because the radiation dosage is high."
A housewife Ms. Miyuki Takahashi (34) who was holding a 11-month-old boy when she visited the hospital, showed a smiling face as if "feeling a little bit easier", and insisted that "I want to receive different kinds of checking if possible".

To follow up on the condition of 360,000 people is a huge medical project. As the only country that has suffered from the atomic bombing twice, Japan should have the experience in dealing with the challenges ahead.