A special vaccination drive to inoculate an estimated 48 lakh children aged between 1 and 15 years against Japanese encephalitis (JE) will be held in Karnataka. The drive will begin on Monday, December 5, and will go on for three weeks. Speaking about the same, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Sunday that in the first week of December, the vaccination drive will primarily focus on private and government schools. Following this, in the next two weeks, the drive will focus on health institutions, anganwadi centres etc.
"The Union Health Ministry will be supplying us with the Jenvac vaccine to conduct the drive," he said. According to the Times of India, 21 cases of Japanese encephalitis were reported in the state till October this year.
Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain caused by either infection or an 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. "Among these, the death rate is around 20-30%. Of those who are cured, 30-50% end up with sensory and motor weakness, and other permanent physical and mental disabilities," Sudhakar said.
JE is caused by a virus called flavivirus and it is primarily transmitted by Culex mosquitoes. The virus is maintained in pigs and wild birds which are called amplifier hosts. While man is the dead-end host.
Under the Universal Immunisation Programme in Karnataka, districts including Ballari, Raichur, Koppal, Vijayapur, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Mandya, Dharwad, Chitradurga and Davangere are identified as the 10 endemic districts for this virus. In these districts, JE vaccine is given to children after they complete nine months, and the second dose is given at the age of 1.5 years.