Health department expands Japanese Encephalitis vaccination

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Health Department has decided to expand the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccination programme to include Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, following reported cases from these areas. A catch-up vaccination campaign will target children aged 1 to 15 years, and the JE vaccine will also be introduced into the Routine Immunisation Programme (Universal Immunisation Programme) in these districts.

Until now, the vaccine has been administered only in Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha, where it was introduced in 2009 following JE outbreaks. The latest decision follows a directive from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

JE is a serious viral brain infection transmitted through mosquito bites. Although case numbers remain relatively low, experts emphasise that the disease is endemic in parts of the state, posing a continuous risk, especially to children.