Every year around 3000 people are afflicted by the Japanese encephalitis (JE), a mosquito-borne arbovirus infection that causes inflammation of the membranes in humans. The government-led JE vaccination campaign is vital in safeguarding the people from this infectious viral disease, especially those in plains where health services are perforce run with limited resources. Unfortunately, the campaign is now facing a severe ‘fund crunch.’ It is reported that the UN agencies have backed out as the vaccines to be brought in the country from China have not yet received ‘goods manufacturing practice certification,’ an international standard set by the WHO. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is waiting in vain for Rs 12 crore that it asked from the Finance Ministry a week back to buy the vaccine.

Clearly, bureaucratic hassles and formalities have caused unnecessary delay in the procurement process that takes at least four months. Last year, the campaign started nine months later than the scheduled date. Given the problem, the expanded programme on immunisation is sure to suffer. But in reality, such a situation would never have surfaced had the authorities prepared to make judicious use of the resources promised by the partner agencies in the opportune time. Obviously, the campaign must be launched pre-monsoon. For that reason alone, the government must extend all the support to the programme at once, realising the gravity of the situation.