CURRENT SCENARIO OF VACCINES FOR JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS

Abstract

Currently various countries in South-East Asia, including India, are facing disaster due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), which is primarily caused by Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV). A dirty environment and a lack of awareness about the risks associated with mosquito bites may be one of the reasons of the outbreak. Japanese encephalitis is a lethal neuroviral infection for which there is no treatment and it largely affects children less than 14 years. Most of the cases either remain asymptomatic or short-lived mild symptoms with fever. In less than one case in every 300-500, the virus causes serious symptoms, such as seizures, confusion and paralysis. Up to one in every three people who develop serious symptoms die and those who do survive may suffer permanent neurological damage. However, the disease can be prevented by JE-specific vaccination. The current article tries to create awareness and is a compilation of advances made so far for vaccines for Japanese encephalitis.