JE is a serious illness that affects the brain. Although many people get infected with the JE virus without becoming ill, those who do show symptoms can either die or suffer serious brain damage. The virus that causes JE is carried by culex mosquitoes which breed in flooded rice fields. Mosquitoes feed on infected pigs and wild birds and infected mosquitoes transmit JE virus to humans and animals while feeding. Since human infection is incidental, there is no person to person transmission. The disease is inherently rural in nature. JE is endemic in the Terai (southern Nepal that borders with India) with maximum number of cases occurring in the western districts of Banke and Kailali. The highest risk months are August and September of each year. JE has now been firmly established in the Kathmandu valley with cases occurring in these high risk months.

This raises the question as to whether all residents and tourists to Kathmandu valley should receive the vaccine against JE.

Short term travelers who will stay in Kathmandu for less than a month who will go trekking are the lowest risk individuals and we do not feel that they need to be immunized against JE. Travelers who will reside in Kathmandu for more than a month particularly in the post-monsoon months of August to October are recommended to obtain the JE vaccine. Persons who will be living in known JE endemic areas such as most of the Terai and those who live in Kathmandu particularly in the rural areas of the valley should be immunized against JE.

The JE vaccine that we stock (Bikens vaccine) is manufactured in Japan, and consists of three shots over a one month period. There is a rapid schedule over a 2 week period for individuals with time constraints. Production of this vaccine has been phased out and new vero cell vaccines will be available in the near future. Although it is generally a safe vaccine, side effects can occur for up to 10 days after receiving the vaccine. For this reason, we recommend that you avoid travel to remote places for 10 days after receiving the vaccine.

Since JE is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, mosquito protection measures are just as important to protect against this disease.