Kathmandu, Sep 13 (UNI) Twelve people, including children, have died and 59 have been infected with the Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus in Nepal since the monsoon began in June, The Kathmandu Post reported.
Twenty-nine districts, including the Kathmandu Valley, have reported infection with the fatal virus, while eight districts — Kailali, Kapilvastu, Palpa, Chitwan, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Siraha, and Sunsari — have recorded infection-related deaths.
“September and October are the peak months for outbreaks of the JE virus,” said Dr. Bibek Kumar Lal, director of the Family Welfare Division at the Department of Health Services.
“We have already stepped up surveillance and activated measures to break the transmission cycle of the deadly virus.”
Japanese encephalitis is a viral brain infection caused by virus, which is widespread throughout Asia and the Western Pacific.
The World Health Organisation classifies it as a mosquito-borne flavivirus, along with dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and West Nile viruses.
According to the UN health agency, the virus kills one-third of those who become ill and leaves up to half of those who survive with serious lifelong disability.
According to health experts, this year’s fatality rate from the JE virus has surpassed 20%.
In 2005, over 2,000 individuals in Nepal died from JE infections and a majority of them were youngsters from Tarai districts.
