Japanese encephalitis virus is present in Asia and Oceania, from Japan to India, Pakistan and Australia. Outbreaks are erratic and spatially and temporally limited phenomena, occurring quite unpredictably. The virus is a leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia, with 30 000 to 50 000 cases reported annually.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 6-11 March 2022, and includes updates on COVID-19, rat hepatitis E, seasonal influenza, measles, Japanese encephalitis, polio, MERS-CoV, dengue, chikungunya and the influx of people displaced from Ukraine to the EU following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Different kinds of vaccines (inactivated, attenuated and chimeric) are available and used in several Asiatic countries. In Europe an inactivated vaccine is currently available. Another way of prevention is avoiding mosquito bites.