Prevalence of Japanese Encephalitis Infection in Children Below 15 Years' Age, Bihar

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the leading cause of acute encephalitis syndromes (AES). Although Bihar has comprehensive data on JE, it ranks third behind Uttar Pradesh and Assam in terms of reported cases. We wanted to determine the incidence of JE cases in Bihar and the endemic districts. In Patna, Muzaffarpur and Gaya, Bihar, this study revealed that JEV is one of the major causes of AES and its epidemiology. We analyzed blood and CSF samples from AES patients delivered to a viral diagnostic laboratory between January 2018 and December 2022 for IgM antibodies against JEV using the enzyme immunoassay recommended by NIV, Pune, India. We detected JEV IgM in 193 (8.79 %) of 2195 individuals. Patient demographics included age, gender and place of residence. Most patients were 6-10 years old and had the disease in June. We need to increase awareness initiatives and cross-sector prevention despite the decline in case fatality rate.