India Reduces Japanese Encephalitis Cases in Children

In response to a local outbreak in southern India, a special vaccination drive to inoculate an estimated 48 lakh (5m) children against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is being conducted in December 2022.

Under the Universal Immunisation Programme in Karnataka, Bellary, Raichur, Koppal, Vijayapur, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Mandya, Dharwad, Chitradurga, and Davangere have been identified as the ten endemic districts for this virus, reported The IndiaExpress on December 5, 2022.

In these districts, two doses of a JE vaccine are given to children early in life.

Japanese encephalitis is a mosquito-borne zoonotic viral disease. It is one of India's most common causes of encephalitis, and a total of 68,000 cases are reported every year.

The occurrence of the disease is widespread in 24 countries of South- East Asia and the Western Pacific region.

Recently, Australia confirmed a similar outbreak in its southern area.

And the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an Alert - Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions, on December 14, 2022.

The CDC suggests people visiting areas with active JE outbreaks should be protected via vaccination.

Other JE outbreak news is posted at the CDC. And travel vaccine updates are posted at Vax-Before-Travel.com/Vaccines.