Deepak Saxena

Fragmented waterscapes increase risk of Japanese encephalitis

This first of its kind study found that fragmented water landscapes increased the risk of Japanese Encephalitis by providing more opportunities for mosquito breeding and transmission of the virus from animals to humans via animal hosts.

Michael G Walsh

Amrita Pattanaik

Navya Vyas

Cameron Webb

Shailendra Sawleshwarkar

Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay

Posted on 25 Jul, 2022 04:13 AM

Japanese encephalitis (JE) - a mosquito borne viral disease, is one of the important causes for childhood mortality in Asia. India has a high burden of the disease with 13.7 percent of 63, 854 acute encephalitis cases from 2010 to 2017 caused due to Japanese Encephalitis virus (JEV) leading to deaths in 17 percent of these cases with the north-east being a perennial hotspot for outbreaks.

Stagnant waters can encourage mosquito breeding and increase risk of diseases (Image Source: India Water Portal)

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