Japanese encephalitis is a type of viral brain infection that's spread through mosquito bites. It's most common in rural areas throughout South East Asia, the Pacific islands and the Far East, but is very rare in travellers?

Dr. Potnuru Srinivaasa SudhakarHomeopath30yrs exp

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Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a disease spread through mosquito bites. Symptoms usually take 5-15 days to develop and include fever, headache, vomiting, confusion, and difficulty moving. Symptoms that develop later include swelling around the brain and coma. JE is a serious disease that may cause death. Transmission of Japanese Encephalitis Virus. Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus, a flavivirus, is closely related to West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis viruses..In the subtropics and tropics, transmission can occur year-round, often with a peak during the rainy season. The virus is maintained in a cycle between mosquitoes and vertebrate hosts, primarily pigs and wading birds. Humans are incidental or dead-end hosts, because they usually do not develop high enough concentrations of JE virus in their bloodstreams to infect feeding mosquitoes. JE virus transmission occurs primarily in rural agricultural areas, often associated with rice production and flooding irrigation. In some areas of Asia, these conditions can occur near urban centers. In temperate areas of Asia, JE virus transmission is seasonal. Human disease usually peaks in the summer and fall. In the subtropics and tropics, transmission can occur year-round, often with a peak during the rainy season. JE virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Culex species mosquitoes, particularly Culex tritaeniorhynchus. The prevention of Japanese encephalitis in travelers presents the juxtaposition of 4 factors: a disease that is widespread throughout Asia, a disease with a low incidence in travelers, a vaccine about which there are safety concerns, and a clinical course that can result in death or permanent disability in two-thirds of symptomatic cases. Travel medicine practitioners often seem to be polarized into 2 groups: a group that gives more weight to the severity of the disease (and therefore often recommend vaccination) and another group that is more persuaded by the low occurrence of cases in travelers (and therefore rarely recommend vaccination). This review assesses the known risks of contracting Japanese encephalitis and the risks associated with the vaccine and tries to develop an appropriate way to recommend this vaccine to travelers who may be at significant risk. 

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