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A special vaccination drive to inoculate an estimated 48 lakh children aged between 1-15 against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) will be held in Karnataka from December 5 for a period of three weeks, State Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Sunday.
Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain caused by either infection or an allergic reaction.
“JE is one of the most common causes of Encephalitis in India and a total of 68,000 cases are reported every year. Among these, the death rate is around 20 to 30 per cent. Among those who are cured, 30 to 50 per cent of people end up with sensory and motor weakness, and other permanent physical and mental disabilities,” Sudhakar said.
“In the first week now (December), vaccinations will primarily be focused on Private and Government schools, following this, in the next two weeks, we will be focusing on vaccination drives in health institutions, Anganwadi centers and among communities,” he said.
