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| A doctor at the National Hospital of Pediatrics treats a child suffering from viral encephalitis.— VNA/VNS Photo |
Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI – Japanese encephalitis cases account for around 10 per cent of 1,000 cases of viral encephalitis reported every year in Việt Nam.
Nearly 60 per cent of viral encephalitis cases are discovered in northern Việt Nam.
Deputy director of the Hà Nội-based National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Trần Như Dương, said children under 10 were most susceptible to Japanese encephalitis, with the highest number of instances occurring in June and July.
According to health experts, the best preventive measure is vaccination.
The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, and can cause complications such as respiratory distress, convulsions and pneumonia.
It is estimated that 30 per cent of Japanese encephalitis cases end in death, and between a third and half of patients that survive are left with neurological or severe mental conditions.
Therefore, in order to proactively prevent the disease, the 2017-2018 national immunisation programme will deploy additional Japanese encephalitis vaccines for children from 6 to 15 years old in mountainous and high-risk areas. — VNS
