Japanese Encephalitis Kills Five People in Jhapa in Last Four Months

Five people have died from Japanese encephalitis (JE) infection in Jhapa in the last four months. So far, JE infection has been confirmed in nine people in the district, out of which five have died.

Among those who died, three are men and two women. Among the infected, three are from Mechinagar, one from Haldibari, one from Bahradashi, one from Kachankawal, two from Birtamod, and one from Arjundhara.

Bishwanath Shrestha, a public health inspector at the Health Office in Jhapa, said that most of the infected people are over 50 years old.

Japanese encephalitis is a viral disease that spreads to humans through the bite of Culex mosquitoes. Once infected, the virus affects the brain. Pigs and ducks are considered the main sources of the JE virus.

People who raise pigs and those living around rice fields and waterlogged areas tend to be at high risk of JE infection if they do not take adequate precaution.

Raj Kumar Pokharel, the vaccination officer at the Health Office in Jhapa, urged people to protect themselves from mosquito bites to avoid JE and to get vaccinated against JE by participating in the regular vaccination programs run by the government. (RSS)