Japanese encephalitis vaccine 87% effective: ICMR
immunization drives, the disease persists among children in central India. Researchers conducted the study in 2018-2020 in Maharashtra and Telangana to estimate Japanese encephalitis vaccination effectiveness among children in the age group of 1-15 years. The government uses Chinese-made live-attenuated SA 14-14-2 vaccines.
Japanese encephalitis is the main cause of acute encephalitis syndrome in South Asia, including India. It is spread by Culex mosquitoes, with Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh being the high-burden states. There are 68,000 cases globally per year.
In India, Japanese encephalitis cases are reported to be high in the north-central and north-eastern regions, medium to high endemic in the south and low in the north-west region. Elimination of Japanese encephalitis is one of the major priorities of the central government. The government has been running large campaigns to reach out the children aged 1–15 years.
Following the mass vaccination campaigns, the vaccine was introduced as a single dose at 16–18 months in the routine immunization schedule during 2010–12. Later, in 2013, an additional dose was offered at 9–12 months of age. The high level of efficacy is most likely due to the two-dose routine immunization implemented after 2013, the study noted.
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