HÀ NỘI – Japanese encephalitis is quickly spreading in the northern provinces, said Trần Đắc Phu, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health.

Dr Nguyễn Trung Cấp, deputy head of the Emergency Department of the Central Tropical Diseases Hospital, said 15 cases who suffered from Japanese encephalitis were treated at the hospital in recent days.

Meanwhile in Bạch Mai Hospital’s Pediatrics Department, nearly 10 cases of the disease are being treated in the hospital, Dr Nguyễn Tiến Dũng said.

Cases of Japanese encephalitis have been recorded in the cities and northern provinces of Hà Nội, Bắc Giang, Điện Biên, Sơn La, Hải Phòng, Thái Bình, Lào Cai and Thanh Hóa central province, Phu said.

As many as six more cases of Japanese encephalitis have been reported in Hà Nội over the last week of June, he said.

Prolonged hot weather is creating favourable conditions for mosquito development and is leading to a high risk of the mosquito-borne disease spreading, Phu added.

Japanese encephalitis is caused by the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus that can spread the disease throughout the year, especially in summer. The disease is more common among children under 15, he said.

Japanese encephalitis is transmitted to humans through infected culex genus mosquitoes.

The symptoms of Japanese encephalitis - commonly known as "brain inflammation" -include high fever, nausea and, in severe cases, seizures, paralysis and coma.

While there is no cure for the disease, treatment focuses on relieving severe clinical signs and helping the patient to beat the infection. — VNS