Japanese Encephalitis Kills One In Nawalparasi

Madhyabindu, Aug 18: A 52-year-old man from Patabari of Madhyabindu municipality-1 has died of Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a mosquito-borne disease.

Chhabilal Subedi, Information Officer at the Province Public Health Office, Nawalparasi confirmed it. The fatality occurred during the first month (mid July-mid-August) of the current fiscal year, which also saw four confirmed JE cases in the district.

Among the infected, the remaining three: a 44-year-old woman, an 83-year-old woman, and a 53-year-old man successfully recovered and returned home.

In recent years, Nawalparasi district, part of Gandaki Province, has seen frequent JE cases. During the fiscal year 2079/80 BS, the district recorded seven infections with five fatalities. This was followed by eight infections and one death in 2080/81 BS. In the last fiscal year, two cases were reported, and both patients recovered.

JE is a transmissible disease caused by the bite of an infected Culex mosquito. This mosquito, medium-sized and brown with white markings on its abdomen, is active primarily after sunset and during the night. Its primary breeding grounds are stagnant water in paddy fields. The risk of infection is highest during the months of Saun, Bhadau, and Asoj (mid-July to mid-October).

Symptoms of JE include fever, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, exhaustion, headache, fatigue, neck stiffness, and pain. In severe cases, it may lead to epilepsy, paralysis or loss of consciousness.

Worldwide, over 50,000 cases of JE are reported annually, with fatalities ranging between 10,000 and 15,000.