Key Takeaways:
- Five deaths among 10 JE cases reported in Jhapa over four months
- None of the patients were vaccinated, health office confirms
- WHO-backed field team studying infection risks and community conditions
- Campaign planned for adults over 30, as cases detected in over-40s
Five of the 10 people diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis (JE) in Jhapa over the past four months have died, prompting health authorities to deploy a field team to investigate the spread and identify possible risk factors.
The team, which includes representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO), health officials and vaccination specialists, has begun studying the infection situation, environmental risks and community conditions in the district.
According to Brij Kumar Das, chief of the District Health Office, all 10 people who tested positive for JE had not received the vaccine against the mosquito-borne disease.
"The available data show the risk of infection and death among unvaccinated people," Das said, adding that expanding access to vaccination would be prioritised to prevent further infections and deaths.
JE vaccination is routinely provided to children at 12 months of age. However, the detection of infections among people aged over 40 has prompted the health office to prepare a campaign targeting unvaccinated people aged over 30, Das said.
The health office plans to use findings from the field study to refine the vaccination campaign and other preventive measures.
The latest data released by the Child Health and Immunisation Service Section under the Family Welfare Division of the Department of Health Services show that 58 JE cases have been confirmed across Nepal in 2026, with 16 deaths reported so far.
JE is transmitted through mosquito bites. Das urged people to prevent water from stagnating around their homes during the monsoon and take necessary precautions against mosquito bites.
(With inputs from RSS)