Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a mosquito-borne viral infection, has resulted in 13 deaths at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) this year, with 50 confirmed cases recorded since April 1, according to hospital authorities.
Dr Ujjal Kumar Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of GMCH, stated that from April 1 to July 4, 50 JE patients were admitted to the hospital. Of them, 13 died, three left against medical advice, and six recovered and were discharged. The majority of cases were reported from Kamrup (Rural), Nalbari, and Darrang districts.
Hospital data shows 14 cases from Kamrup district, 10 from Nalbari, seven from Darrang, and three from Kamrup (Metro).
According to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Assam has recorded over 840 deaths due to Japanese Encephalitis between 2015 and 2024. Annual fatalities include 135 in 2015, 92 in 2016, 87 in 2017, 94 in 2018, 161 in 2019, 51 in 2020, 40 in 2021, 96 in 2022, 34 in 2023, and 53 so far in 2024.
JE is transmitted through the bite of infected Culex mosquitoes and is maintained in nature by pigs and water birds. The disease does not spread through human-to-human contact.
