48L Karnataka kids to get jabs for Japanese encephalitis from today: Sudhakar

Health and Family Welfare Minister K Sudhakar on Sunday said that a special vaccination drive to inoculate more than 48 lakh children aged 1-15 years against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) will be held for three weeks from December 5.

According to a statement from the minister’s office, under the universal immunisation programme, vaccinations will primarily focus on private and government schools in the first week of December.

In the next two weeks, the health department will focus on vaccination drives in health institutions, anganwadi centres and among communities.

“Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain caused by infection or allergic reaction. JE is one of the most common causes of encephalitis in India and a total of 68,000 cases are reported every year. The death rate is 20 to 30%. Among those who are cured, 30-50% end up with sensory, motor weakness and other permanent physical and mental disabilities,” the statement said.

Sudhakar said the union health ministry will supply ‘Jenvac vaccine’ for the drive.

“The JE is caused by a virus called flavivirus and it is primarily transmitted by Culex mosquitoes. The virus is found in pigs and wild birds, the amplifier hosts. Man is the dead-end host,” the statement said.

The minister said Ballari, Raichur, Koppal, Vijayapura, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Mandya, Dharwad, Chitradurga and Davangere districts are the 10 endemic districts for this virus.

“In these districts, JE vaccine is given to children after they complete 9 months and a second dose is given at the age of 1.5 years. As per the directive of the union ministry of health and family welfare, additional JE campaign will be conducted in Bagalkot, Dakshina Kannada, Gadag, Hassan, Haveri, Kalaburgi, Tumakuru, Ramanagar, Udupi and Yadgir districts during the non-transmission period. One dose of JE vaccine will be administered to children aged 1 to 15 years,” the minister said.

The first case of JE was reported in India in 1955 from Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The first major JE outbreak was reported in 1973 from Burdwan district of West Bengal. Another major outbreak was reported in Uttar Pradesh in 2005, resulting in more than 6,000 cases and 1,500 deaths.

The first case of JE was reported in Karnataka from Kolar district in 1978. A vast majority of cases occur in children less than 15 years of age.