Encephalitis claims seven in Nepalgunj

Seven people, mostly children, have died so far due to an outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis in Nepalgunj, Banke district, from the past many days.

The seven dead were among the 45 going through medical checkup at the Bheri Zonal Hospital after contracting the viral disease, reports said.

The remaining 38 patients are said to have already returned home after getting treatment. Most of the dead include young children, doctors at the hospital said.

The mortality rate among people contracting this disease is high – almost 20 percent. According to statistics, among the 5,645 patients who were admitted in the hospital after contracting the disease in Banke district in the past one decade, a striking 1,056 have already died.

Japanese encephalitis is a disease caused by the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus which spreads like a epidemic with the start of the rainy season in the terai parts of Nepal. Domestic pigs and wild birds are reservoirs of the virus. nepalnews.com ag Sep 27 07