Endemic Encephalitis in India can be controlled by early vaccination

A recent report in Nature Medicine had said that the cause of high death tolls and spread of Japanese Encephalitis in India is due to lack of preparedness of Indian Health Officials in forming preventive strategies and early vaccination programs. The encephalitis infection is spread by transmission of Japanese Encephalitis Virus by mosquitoes which breed in water logged paddy fields in the monsoon seasons. The disease symptoms are characterized by fever, loss of consciousness and seizures and this years out-break has caused more than 764 child deaths in Uttar Pradesh.

Compared to Uttar Pradesh the incidence of encephalitis is low in Andhra Pradesh state due to precautionary methods taken by Andhra Pradesh government by started early vaccination to its people contrary to Uttar Pradesh which started procuring vaccines only after the start of encephalitis spread.

Dr. Kamal Krishna Datta, Former director of the National Institute of Communicable Disease, Delhi said, “There are no attempts to forecast, anticipate and understand the epidemiology of diseases and pass on the information to relevant districts.”

Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, Health Minister had asked the researchers to test the quality and efficacy of the Chinese Vaccine and is planning to vaccinate all the people in endemic districts of India by the starting of next year to avoid Endemic disease of Encephalitis next monsoon.

Source: Nature Medicine.