KATHMANDU, June 30:Child Health Division (CHD) under the Department of Health Services (DoHS) said that it has immunized over 3.2 million children under the age of 15 with Japanese encephalitis vaccine.
All the children under 15 in 47 districts, where JE vector is prevalent, have been administered with the vaccines, officials informed.
JE is a type of viral infection of brain that spreads through mosquitoes. Doctors say that in acute cases, the infection can lead to paralysis, seizures, coma and even death.
Infographics: Vaccinations can help save govts’ billions
Out of the 75 districts in the country, JE carrier mosquitoes have been found in 72 districts. The CHD has been providing JE vaccines under regular immunization program in all districts of Tarai region as well as in the Kathmandu Valley.
"We have completed JE campaign in 47 districts," said Dr Rajendra Panta, director at the CHD, adding that all the children under 15 in those districts have been immunized with JE vaccine. Despite intervention by the government and aid agencies, JE constitutes a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the country.
According to Dr Panta, children under the age of 15 have been immunized with JE vaccine as most cases occur in children aged 5 to 15.
"Most symptoms in humans are asymptotic," Mukunda Gautam, chief of the Immunization Section at the CHD, said.
He said that permanent neurological disorder is common among the survivors. Gautam, however, claimed that the number of infection have declined in recent years due to the government's intervention.
