Delhi reports 'isolated' case of Japanese Encephalitis

The national capital has reported an “isolated” case of Japanese Encephalitis, official sources said on Thursday.

All public health measures have been instituted as per the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC) guidelines, the sources said, adding there was no cause for concern.

Referring to an order issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday, the sources said that the 72-year-old man from west Delhi was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on November 3 following chest pain.

The patient was diabetic, had coronary artery disease, bilateral lower limb weakness and bowel and bladder incontinence, the source said.

After the patient's blood sample was collected on November 6, he tested positive for Japanese Encephalitis. He was discharged on November 15, the sources said.

According to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme data, in 2024, 1,548 Japanese Encephalitis cases were reported from 24 states and Union Territories, with 925 cases from Assam alone.

As per the central government guidelines, two doses of the vaccine have been a part of the Universal Immunisation Programme since 2013. Adult Japanese Encephalitis vaccine has been introduced in high-burden states, sources said.

“No outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis has been reported in Delhi in the past although occasional isolated cases have been reported from tertiary hospitals like AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia and Safdarjung among others - mostly from neighbouring states,” a source said.

While all public health measures have been instituted according to the NCVBDC guidelines, there is no cause for concern due to this isolated case of Japanese Encephalitis, the source said.

The Japanese Encephalitis virus is normally carried by waterfowl and amplified in pigs from where it is accidentally transmitted to humans through the bite of infected culex mosquitoes. The infection may result in febrile illness and in a small proportion of cases cause neurological illness and may result in death, he said.

There is no specific treatment for Japanese Encephalitis and there is no human-to-human transmission of the virus, the source said.