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Japanese encephalitis seasonal resurgence in Uttar Pradesh, India
Tuesday, 13 October, 2009
With another 4 deaths reported this week, the toll of Japanese encephalitis virus victims has now been raised to 379 in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, a senior Indian Health official was quoted as saying. "A total of 2182 patients suffering from the deadly vector-borne disease were admitted to Baba Raghav Das Medical College in the recent past in Gorakhpur in the eastern part of the state. According to latest reports, 379 patients have died so far this year. The condition of some patients are also serious and the toll may mount," the official said.
The main area of spread at present of this mosquito-borne disease is in the Gorakhpur area of Uttar Pradesh. It is common at this time of year for the disease to resurge, and efforts are being made to vaccinate children where possible. Travellers should be aware of increased risk, and those spending time in this region should be vaccinated against the disease. Vaccination consists of two injections 4 weeks apart and is safe and available from Travel Doctor-TMVC.
