Japanese Encephalitis Virus Prophylaxis

Japanese Encephalitis Virus General Information

Japanese Encephalitis Virus is known to be the pathogen that causes the presence of Japanese B Encephalitis. This clinical pathogen is a mosquito-borne virus which belongs to the Flaviviridae family. Wild birds and also domestic pigs are known to be common reservoirs for this clinical pathogen. When the virus enters the organism of a human being, several dangerous (severe) clinical manifestations are known to arise. Studies have shown that the Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquito is one of the most important vectors of this clinical condition (disorder). The presence of this medical disease is common in the Far East and in Southeast Asia.

The Japanese Encephalitis Virus presents an incubation period that ranges between 5 and 15 days. Most clinical infections that are due to the presence of this pathogen are asymptomatic (only one individual out of 250 who have the virus in their organism develops the Japanese Encephalitis). If an individual is suffering from the Japanese form of Encephalitis, he or she will develop some severe clinical manifestations; among them: malaise, headache, fever, and so on. These symptoms are known to generally last up to 6 days. When the disease reaches its acute stage, the patient develops other specific signs: hemiparesis, cachexia, abnormally high fever, convulsions, and so on. The severe forms of this medical condition may lead to mental retardation, and even coma.

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Prophylaxis

In this chapter (Japanese Encephalitis Virus Prophylaxis) we intend to present you some of the most effective ways in which an individual can prevent becoming infected with this mosquito-borne virus. First of all, all individuals must know that a past infectious disorder that is due to the same pathogen is known to grant the patient life-time immunity. In other words, individuals who have already suffered from this medical condition present no risk of becoming re-infected with it.

One of the most employed Japanese Encephalitis Virus Prophylaxis methods is the administration of a vaccine against JEV. Until now, all developed medical vaccines are known to be based on the genotype III pathogen. In 1930, a mouse-brain formalin-inactivated derived immunization solution against this medical condition (Japanese Encephalitis) was produced in Japan. It also became available for use in the 1960s in Taiwan and in the 1980s in Thailand. Due to the widespread administration of the vaccine and due to increasing urbanization of the country, countries such as Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Korea have been able to keep the disorder under control. However, this Japanese Encephalitis Virus Prophylaxis option presented one great disadvantage: its high cost (as the production of the solution required its growth in live mice). In other words, poorer countries did not have enough money to implement a national immunization program among their residents.

In the United Kingdom, there are currently two unlicensed vaccines that are commonly employed as a Japanese Encephalitis Virus Prophylaxis method. They are Green Cross and JE-Vax. The immunization routine with these vaccines requires the administration of 3 doses, which have to be separated from one another by a couple of weeks (your personal health care provider will give you further information regarding this matter). The dose of the vaccine is of 0.5 ml for children younger than 3 years of age and of 1 ml for adult patients and for children over 3.

Although the vaccine is the most effective Japanese Encephalitis Virus Prophylaxis option, its administration is known to trigger some adverse clinical manifestations: pain at the site of the injection, redness of the skin, itching, and so on. Fortunately, these adverse reactions are generally described as mild manifestations, which do not last for a prolonged period of time. The administration of this vaccine is not able to provide life-time immunity against the JEV. For individuals who are always at risk of developing Japanese Encephalitis, the administration of booster vaccines should be employed every couple of years. Several new vaccines are currently under development. Scientists agree that the mouse-brain formalin-inactivated derived immunization vaccine will soon be replaced by a cell-culture immunization solution (cheaper and safer than the previous version).

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Treatment

The infection with this mosquito-borne pathogen (commonly called the Japanese Encephalitis Virus) is considered a highly severe medical condition. Unfortunately, scientists have not been able to discover an effective therapy against this infectious medical condition (no effective anti-viral medical products have been discovered so far). As the cause of this clinical disorder is a virus, the use of antibiotic remedies is considered useless. As this infectious medical condition cannot be transmitted from one individual to another, patients who are diagnosed with the presence of an infection with the Japanese Encephalitis Virus do not have to be isolated. Such individuals should be immediately hospitalized. In this way, he or she will be kept under close clinical observation and will receive the adequate supportive treatment. In such cases, physicians concentrate on the therapy of the patient’s clinical manifestations and on that of any potential complications that may arise. For further, professional information regarding this matter, we strongly advise you to seek the attention of your health care specialist. He or she will me more than happy to provide you with the advice that you need.