Accelerated control of Japanese encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne disease, characterized by inflammation of the brain. Currently, 10 out of 11 countries in the SEA Region are endemic for JE (with the exception of the Maldives). Vaccination is the most cost-effective strategy to prevent and control JE, and immunization has been shown to reduce the economic burden of JE.

With the introduction of JE vaccine, JE is now under control in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In these countries, the disease appears only sporadically, with small outbreaks occurring among unvaccinated adults or in areas in which the vaccine has not been introduced.