Nepal: Japanese encephalitis kills 17 since June
According to a Kathmandu Post report, at least 17 people, including children, have died in Nepal, from Japanese encephalitis (JE) since the start of the monsoon in June this year.
A total of 63 JE cases have been reported.
Twenty-nine districts, including those in the Kathmandu Valley, have reported infection from the deadly virus, while 12 districts—Kailali, Kapilvastu, Palpa, Chitwan, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Siraha, Dhanusha, Sindhuli, Jhapa and Sunsari—have reported deaths from the infection.
Officials say that September and October are the peak months for JE outbreaks.
Health officials say this year’s death rate from the JE virus has exceeded 27 percent, and among the deceased, the number of children under 15 years of age is very high.
Nepal has included the vaccine in its routine immunization list, which the government provides free of cost to all children.
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Japanese encephalitis is a deadly infectious disease found mainly in Asia. About 70,000 cases of JE are estimated to occur in Asia each year, although the actual number of cases is likely much higher due to underreporting in rural areas. JE is fatal in approximately 30 percent of those who show symptoms, and leaves half of survivors with permanent brain damage. The disease is endemic in Southeast Asia, India and China, a region with a population of more than three billion.
In 2005, JE killed more than 1,200 children in only one month during an epidemic outbreak in Uttar Pradesh, India, and Nepal.