Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: As of June 17, this year, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) claimed 39 lives in Assam. The state has reported 505 cases of JE and AES this year.
Though active JE cases start thriving in April, they reach their peak during June and September. Assam alone reports around 50 per cent of JE cases that occur annually in the country. A peek into the statistics of the past few years shows that Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Biswanath Chariali, etc. are hotspots for JE, which also occurs in the lower Assam and North Bank districts bordering Bhutan.
JE is a confirmed vector-borne disease that spreads due to mosquito bites nearby stagnant water, pigsties, etc. It begins with flu-like symptoms that convert to encephalitis within 48-60 hours. AES, on the other hand, is a severe neurological illness that can be caused by viral infections like JE, bacteria, fungi, etc. According to the National Health Mission’s executive director Dr Abhijit Sarma, many people mistake JE and AES as one. “So far this year, more people lost their lives due to AES, not JE. Of the 470 AES cases reported so far, 32 have lost their lives. On the contrary, only seven of the 35 JE cases reported lost their lives so far,” he said.
Dr Sarma said, “We have started precautionary measures since February of this year. We’re monitoring the entire state, kept the hospital ready for such patients, increased the areas of vaccination coverage, appointed district-wise nodal officers and coordinators, kept adequate stocks of medicines, etc.”
Statistics reveal that 51 of 320 reported JE patients died in 2020, 40 of 248 reported patients died in 2021, 96 of 456 reported JE patients died in 2022, 34 of 525 reported JE patients died in 2023, 53 of 670 reported JE patients died in 2024, and 27 of 423 reported JE patients died in 2025.
JE affects people of all age groups, but people under 15 and above 60 are more susceptible to severe complications. The transmission cycle is driven by the Culex mosquito, which breeds rapidly in rice paddy and stagnant water, using pigs and wild birds as amplifying hosts. JE is a viral disease with no specific cure; hence, health authorities strongly emphasise preventive measures and active immunisation. Reduced mosquito exposure by using mosquito curtains, wearing long-sleeved clothing, managing pig sites at a safe distance from human dwellings, etc., is advisable.
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