According to the Nepal Department of Health Services, 164 Japanese encephalitis cases have been confirmed this year, compared to 86 cases last year.
Japanese Encephalitis has now spread to 110 municipalities across 42 districts, with 28 districts classified as high-risk. The disease is most prevalent during the monsoon and post-monsoon months, from July to November.
31 people have died from Japanese Encephalitis infections across Nepal. This is the highest number of deaths from Japanese Encephalitis in ten years, according to health officials. Recent years have see 25 deaths in 2024, seven in 2023, and one in 2017, while no fatalities were recorded between 2018 and 2022.
Most of the fatalities were over 40 years old and unvaccinated.
Currently, about 82 percent of Nepali children have received the JE vaccine. Nepal introduced the vaccine into its national immunization program in 1998 for children under one year of age, and it is administered regularly to those under five.
AloJapan.com