NEW DELHI: The national capital on Wednesday reported a case of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) from West Delhi after more than a decade.
The case has been detected in Bindapur, West Delhi. Authorities have not shared detailed information about the case.
However, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has initiated containment measures.
The civic body has warned that the fatality rate of this disease is high, and those who survive may suffer from various degrees of brain dysfunction.
"A case of Japanese Encephalitis has been reported from the Bindapur area under the West Zone recently. Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a zoonotic viral disease caused by the JE virus. The Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of this disease is high, and those who survive may suffer from various degrees of neurological sequelae. Keeping this in view, all District Health Officers (DHOs) and Epidemiologists are directed to intensify vector control measures, including larval source reduction, and implement community-based initiatives such as awareness campaigns for the prevention and control of JE," read an order issued by the Municipal Health Office.
Previously, the virus had hit the city in 2011, when 14 cases were reported.That year marked the first time the disease was reported in the city, prompting investigations to determine whether the cases were imported or indigenous.
The virus was also responsible for the Gorakhpur tragedy, where over 60 children admitted to the city's BRD Medical College died within two weeks of infection. However, many of these deaths were later attributed to a lack of oxygen supply in the hospital.
The virus is transmitted from animals, birds, and pigs—particularly birds belonging to the family Ardeidae—to humans by Culex mosquitoes. It may result in febrile illness of variable severity, affecting the central nervous system and causing severe complications, seizures, and even death.