Japanese Encephalitis: What you need to know

We recently had our kids vaccinated against Japanese Encephalitis, a deadly mosquito-borne disease that currently terrifies a lot of parents in the Philippines.

What is Japanese Encephalitis?

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne disease that usually has an incubation period from 5 to 15 days upon the bite. The virus was first documented in 1871 in Japan that quickly spread in East and South East Asia.

As per the article of Business World, “Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an infection of the brain caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus. The virus belongs to the same family as Dengue and, just like Dengue, is primarily transmitted by a mosquito vector. The mosquito vector (Culex tritaeniorhynchus) is different from the mosquito vector of Dengue. Although it tends to be more common in rural, rice-growing regions and in areas where livestock, e.g. pigs, are raised, it has also been reported in urban areas.”

There were horror stories of this disease on Facebook mommy groups. Some mommies said that it took only 2 days and their kids died because of JE.

Symptoms:

Japanese Encephalitis Quick Guide from Business World

Fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, confusion, difficulty in moving, stiff neck, and seizures.

Since the symptoms can be mistaken with encephalitis and dengue fever, the disease is underreported or misdiagnosed. The public is not aware of the JE virus so kids don’t get to be vaccinated.

Prevention:

Avoid mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves and long pants, removing stagnant water at home, applying insect repellant on exposed skin, and installing screens on windows and doors.

Of course, a vaccine is also a must in order to prevent JE.

JE Vaccine in the Philippines

With the increasing number of cases in the Philippines, the Department of Health had ordered the vaccine to be included in the national immunization program. This means that the vaccine is now required to be given to kids.

The vaccine that we had was Imojev worth P3,500 each. I read that other Pediatricians and hospitals also charge P3,500 per shot. Booster shot will be given after a year. No fever expected after the vaccine. It may be a bit expensive but when it comes to our children’s health, we make sure they are covered by all the vaccines available and required by the Department of Health.