The epidemiology of Japanese encephalitis on Taiwan during 1966-1997.

Abstract

Abstract. Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an endemic disease in Taiwan. A mass vaccination program of children against JE was first implemented in 1968. Along with general improvements in various aspects of living conditions over the years, the program has brought JE well under control. The main characteristics of JE epidemiology in Taiwan in the past 3 decades are as follows. The transmission mode remains unchanged-that is, the amplification stage of the virus in pigs is followed by a human epidemic each year. The frequency of JE incidence has dropped significantly.

Original Research Article: Clinical Profile and Outcome of Patients with Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Assam, India.

“…In our study, GCS score below 8, concurrent seizure and coma at the time of admission were found to be poor prognostic factor and associated with increased mortality. Similar observations were made by various workers in their earlier studies, Ooi MH et al(2008) in Malaysia , Y C Wu et al (1999) in Taiwan (13,14).…”

Japanese Encephalitis: Epidemiology and Current Perspectives in Vaccines

“…A similar picture was seen in Kurnool, India where case fatality dropped from 50.4% in 1994 to 12.9% in 2003 [1]. However, the experience from Taiwan suggested that the vaccine does not modify disease outcome [12].…”

“…In pigs the disease causes spontaneous abortions though rarely causes disease in adults [9]. Monitoring of antibody levels in pigs and isolation of the virus in mosquitoes has shown a rise in mosquito density, proceeded by a rise in antibody titres in pigs, followed by infection in humans over a transmission season [10][11][12]. This limits control measures as it is not feasible to use insecticides in vast areas of rural land (excepting emergencies) while there is limited incentives for farmers to vaccinate their animals [9].…”

“…14 Frequent and long-term neurological and psychiatric sequalae is common in up to 40% of cases [9,12]. Surveillance systems for suspected cases have formed case definitions of fever with either meningeal symptoms and signs, or cortical irritation, or altered consciousness, or cranial nerve symptoms or extra/ pyramidal signs [12].…”

“…Surveillance systems for suspected cases have formed case definitions of fever with either meningeal symptoms and signs, or cortical irritation, or altered consciousness, or cranial nerve symptoms or extra/ pyramidal signs [12]. A lack of common surveillance standards and focus on encephalitis means an under appreciation of possibly a wider spectrum of disease and hence under-estimation of true disease burden [1,9].…”