Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a vector-borne, vaccine-preventable disease transmitted by the culex mosquito. An infected person acquires lifelong immunity if they recover from the infection. Infected children are at a greater risk of developing encephalitis, which may cause death or lifetime morbidity. The objective of JE case-based surveillance is to understand the epidemiology, predisposing factors and associated clinical features. A nation-wide surveillance system started in 2017. This surveillance has 103 sentinel sites, among these, 82 are Government facilities (tertiary level medical college hospitals, district hospitals and Govt. specialized institutions) and 21 private hospitals.

Highlight:

• From 2017 to 2022 a total of 420 JE positive cases have been detected.

N.B. The JE vaccine is currently available in different countries. However, in Bangladesh, the JE vaccination strategy will be formed based on JE surveillance data.