4 people died from Japanese encephalitis (JE) infection last week alone. With this, the number of deaths from Japanese encephalitis infection has reached 12 in the past three months. Currently, 63 people are infected with encephalitis across the country.

According to the Health Service Department, Chitwan has the highest number of deaths with 3, Arghakhanchi, Morang, Bara, Jhapa, Nawalparasi West, Kailali, Tehrathum and Pyuthan with one each. The

department has not revealed the district of the one who died. According to the department, the Japanese encephalitis infection has spread in 24 different districts of seven provinces. Last year, 25 people, including one in Kathmandu Valley, died from this infection. 86 people were infected. 

Head of Child Health and Immunization Division of Family Welfare Division of Health Services Department. According to Abhiyaan Gautam, although officially 63 people have been infected this year, the actual number may be much higher. It is spreading. Among the dead are people aged 8 to 85 years. Pneumonia has been seen in them along with JE," he says, "There are more deaths than those who have not been vaccinated against JE."

In 2005, Japanese encephalitis spread as an outbreak. At that time 2 thousand people lost their lives. Children are most at risk from this disease. For this reason, the government has been regularly giving vaccinations against JE since 2015. According to the data of the

department, the age group above 15 years is more among the deaths this year. Which indicates that unvaccinated adults are at high risk. Dr. According to Gautam, even adults can be vaccinated against JE. "But it takes about a month for the vaccine to work," he says, "now the best way is to avoid mosquito bites." 

Culex mosquitoes can transmit the virus to humans after biting JE-infected animals, especially pigs and ducks. Pigs and ducks have a high JE load. If the mosquito bites those animals and then bites a person, it will spread," he said, "but not everyone will be infected. If 250 people are bitten in a village, only 1 person will have a serious problem. But it is very deadly because 30 percent of patients with severe infection may die.

According to the World Health Organization, about one third of patients who are seriously infected with this virus die. Even among those who survive, it causes lifelong severe disability. Infectious disease specialist Dr. According to Sher Bahadur Pun, there is no definite cure for this disease. "It is appropriate to run a vaccination campaign in the affected districts," he said.

Vaccination Advisory Committee Chairman Prof. Dr. Rameshkant Adhikari said that immediately provision should be made to identify the children who missed the vaccination against JE and distribute it to those under 5 years of age. Arrangements should be made to provide good health treatment to the infected, he said. Although JE is a serious disease, the government does not have an adult vaccine available to prevent it, nor has there been a concerted effort to implement an action plan designed to control mosquitoes. The role of the local level has not been seen in implementing the action plan for mosquito control. 

According to officials of the Department of Health Services, about one and a half billion rupees are needed to purchase vaccines that will reach five million people. But the government has not allocated the budget. Officials of the department say that they have not been able to collect vaccines because donor agencies also do not plan to help. Head of Child Health and Vaccination Department of

Dr. Gautam said that he has already written to GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) to provide vaccines on a subsidy basis. However, Gabi is not accepting to repeat the vaccination campaign once. We are requesting," he said. "We are also discussing JE prevention with the World Health Organization officials.

Ministry of Health and Population spokesperson Dr. Prakash Budhathoki said that the vaccine against JE, which is given 12 months after the birth of an infant, has 500,000 in stock and is enough for this year. Even if the vaccine is purchased immediately for adults, it takes at least 4-5 weeks to work. Now, rather than vaccinating adults, it is more appropriate to conduct a campaign to find and destroy mosquito larvae,'' he said. "We also allocate budget to the provincial and local levels every year to improve the farm," he said, "especially the local levels that are directly connected with the farmers should monitor." One of them, Prabhat Kumar Jha, the spokesperson of the road department, said that they have been working regularly by allocating a budget every year to repair road potholes for mosquito control. "Some of the roads are under the local government," he said, "sometimes the water supply and sometimes the sewage management department digs the roads so there are potholes." This mosquito is more active in the morning, evening and night. If infected with this virus, severe headache, high fever, fainting, vomiting, stiff neck, tremors, paralysis, coma will occur. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, symptoms can appear within 5 to 15 days after being bitten by a mosquito infected with JE. JE does not pass from one person to another. It is not transmitted to humans by touching infected animals or eating animal products.