RAJSHAHI, Jan 9, 2023 (BSS) - Integrated efforts of all the government, non-government and research organizations concerned has become crucial to prevent Japanese Encephalitis (JE) as it has deadly consequences.

Preventive, curative and administrative sections of the department of health services should come forward and work together to combat the JE disease collectively.

Health experts and researchers came up with the observation while addressing a daylong advocacy workshop to disseminate information on burden, risk, prevention and vaccination of JE in Bangladesh here today.
Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNC&AH) at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) organized the workshop supported by International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) and Foundations for Appropriate Technologies in Health (FATH) at Hotel X in the city.

Dr Rebeca Sultana and Dr Arifa Naznin from ICDDR,B, Dr Sharmin Sultana from the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control And Research (IEDCR) and Dr Kamran Mehedi from PATH talked about various issues related to epidemiology of JE along with its surveillance information, treatment cost and vaccination during their separate keynote presentations.

Dr Rebeca Sultana told the meeting that viral encephalitis remains a significant public health problem worldwide and one of the most important causes of mosquito borne viral encephalitis not only in Asia but all over the world.

Its transmission is either from insect or environmental vectors or from human-to-human contact. It causes severe disease in humans, resulting in death or permanent neurologic deficits among the person who survives.

As the risk of Japanese Encephalitis is persisting, implementation of strategies that will strengthen Japanese Encephalitis surveillance systems to understand the disease burden and apply vaccination protocols in national childhood immunization programs in Bangladesh.

Commissioner of Rajshahi division GSM Zafarullah addressed the opening session as the chief guest with Divisional Director of Health Services Dr Habibul Ahsan Talukder in the chair.

Chairman of Rajshahi Development Authority Dr Ziaul Haque, Divisional Deputy Director of Health Dr Anwaul Kabir, former Line Director of MNC&AH Dr Shamsul Haque and Deputy Director of EPI and Surveillance Dr Jesmin Ara Khanom also spoke on the occasion.
 
In his remarks, Dr Shamsul Haque said the most critical JE prevention program in Bangladesh is the provision of JE vaccination and mosquito control. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends integrating JE vaccination into the national immunization program.

JE prevention measures are the establishment of guidelines and service improvements, diseases and vectors/hosts surveillance, implementation of immunization programs, local vector control, education, and health promotion campaigns and community engagement and environmental management that should focus on high-risk areas.