December
26, 2017
More
than 200,000 children between the ages of nine months and 5 years in 17
townships in Rakhine State received inoculations against Japanese encephalitis
during the vaccination campaign which started on 11 December.
More
than 40,000 children in border areas and far-flung areas of Rakhine State were
also immunised from the debilitating mosquito-borne disease.
The
vaccination campaign began on 11 December and ran through 20 December.
According
to the Rakhine State Health Department, more than 48,100 children from Sittway
District, more than 65,900 from Mrauk-U District, 57,900 from Maungtaw
District, 39,300 from Kyaukpyu District and 23,000 from Thandwe District have
been vaccinated by the department’s mobile medical teams.
The
ministry targets a total of 14 million children to get vaccinated during the
campaign.
The
Japanese Encephalitis virus is maintained in a cycle involving mosquitoes and
vertebrate hosts, mainly pigs and wading birds. Humans can be infected when
bitten by an infected mosquito.
Some
infected patients will develop neurological symptoms including tremors,
seizures (especially among children), as well as mental status changes and
movement disorders.
Japanese
Encephalitis can be fatal in 20 to 30 per cent of cases and most of survivors
continue to have neurologic, cognitive or psychiatric symptoms.
The
ministry said the vaccine could not be administered to children suffering from
chronic disease, as well as to those who have allergic reaction to any of the component
of the vaccine, such as gelatin, gentamycin, sucrose, human serum albumin and
carbamide.
Children
who are suffering from tuberculosis, or have low immune system or taking antibiotics,
could not be vaccinated.
Win
Min Soe/IPRD
Ref;
The Global New Light of Myanmar
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