Description of the situation
10 December 1999
Disease Outbreak Reported
The national health authorities have reported an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis which started in early September in Andhra Pradesh state. A total of 965 cases with 200 deaths (CFR 20.7%), mainly in children, occurred up to 6 December. Laboratory confirmation was obtained for 16 out of 28 samples tested. The national health authorities sent teams to the affected areas to provide technical assistance to the local authorities and control and preventive measures are being implemented. Japanese encephalitis is endemic in Andhra Pradesh where outbreaks occur every 2 to 3 years. The last outbreak occurred in 1997 when 267 cases with 32 deaths were reported in the worst affected district, Kahool, and 82% of cases occurred in children.