Vaccination Should be a Priority Approach for Japanese Encephalitis Prevention in Nepal

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a severe disease that is widespread throughout Asia and is spreading beyond its traditional habitat. JE is primarily a zoonotic disease infecting mainly vertebrate animals, e.g. pigs, birds, horses etc. Man is involved in transmission cycle as an incidental host and plays no role in perpetuating the virus. JE is principally a disease of rural agricultural areas, where vector mosquitoes live in close association with the main vertebrate hosts. Pigs, wading birds and ducks have been incriminated as important vertebrate amplifying hosts for JE virus. Humans and horses may become ill in transmission cycle.