Japanese Encephalitis in Malaysia

By NewsDesk @bactiman63

According to the Malaysia Ministry of Health, from January 1 to July 13, a total of 15 Japanese Encephalitis (JE) cases reported in Malaysia involved three (3) JE death cases, two (2) in Sarawak and one (1) in Perak.

All cases are sporadic and no JE outbreaks are reported.

JE is the most important cause of viral encephalitis in Asia. About 68,000 clinical cases are reported annually. It usually occurs in rural or agricultural areas, often associated with rice farming.

JE virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Culex species mosquitoes, particularly Culex tritaeniorhynchus.

Most JE virus infections are mild (fever and headache) or without apparent symptoms, but approximately 1 in 250 infections results in severe disease characterized by rapid onset of high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, seizures, spastic paralysis and death. The case-fatality rate can be as high as 30% among those with disease symptoms.

There is a protective vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus.





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