AGARTALA, May 19 (TIWN): With an aim to protect children from Japanese encephalitis, Tripura is all set to launch the first ever Japanese encephalitis vaccine program from May 23, said Minister for Health & Family Welfare Badal Chowdhury on Tuesday here at the civil secretariat. As per schedule, altogether three districts will be covered under this program which includes West District, Shipahijala District and Khowai District, said Choudhury in a press conference held at the Agartala Secretariat building on Tuesday. Detailing the programme he said that children between 1 - 15 years of age will be vaccinated in the first phase. Further, as a part of the regular programme children between 9-12 months will be vaccinated along with the smallpox vaccine and the second dose will be provided at the age between 16 – 24 years along with D. P. T and Polio booster dose. As a part of the programme, medical officers along with others, Asha and Anganwadi workers are being trained to assist the people of the chosen areas, said Choudhury. The vaccination will be provided at the schools and primary health centre’s of the district, added. Choudhury further enhanced that there were 28 cases of Japanese encephalitis virus which are being cured by taking precaution on time.

 This initiative is taken to protect the state from further attack of this virus.  Daily report will be prepared from Sub-divisional hospital, primary health centre and rural hospital and will be sent to District level. Further the report will be forwarded to the state level then to the National level.

As there is not much availability of vaccines, the central government has asked the state to focus on the mentioned three districts in the beginning and further the other 27 districts will be brought under the program of vaccination.

JE virus is maintained in a cycle involving mosquitoes and vertebrate hosts, mainly pigs and wading birds. Humans can be infected when bitten by an infected mosquito, said Choudhury.

Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne viral infection, is the most common cause of viral encephalitis in eastern Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), affecting 171 districts and claiming hundreds of lives every year. Mortality is higher among children and thousands of them in this area have been rendered disabled by it.

The results proved that JE vaccination can be administered as a single dose during epidemics for mass vaccination campaigns and also as a two-dose schedule during routine immunization as part of the National immunization program in endemic regions.