Malappuram: For the first time in Malappuram district, 14.79 lakh children will be vaccinated against Japanese Encephalitis (JE). The immunisation drive will begin on January 12, with health workers administering the vaccine at schools and anganwadis.

The campaign will be launched in high schools and carried out as an intensive six-week programme, aimed at reaching children across different age groups.

Vaccination plan

• Age Group: 1 to 15 years
• Dose: Single dose per child
• Administration:  To be conducted by trained health staff at health centres in respective local bodies
• Target locations: LP, UP and high schools, along with preschools affiliated with schools. Parents may be present during preschool vaccinations.

For children not enrolled in schools, vaccinations will be provided at anganwadis

Once this target is achieved, children under 2 years of age will receive two doses of the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine along with routine immunisations- first at 9 months and a second dose at 15 or 18 months.

According to Dr NR Pameeli, District RCH Officer, vaccinations will start in high schools first, as SSLC students may finish classes earlier. Plans are also in place to conduct sessions in anganwadis on Saturdays. "Awareness campaigns for Japanese Encephalitis vaccination are already underway across the district. A meeting with religious leaders has been held to support the drive and on Fridays, special announcements are being made in Muslim mosques under the leadership of imams. Child Development Project Officers, along with homoeopathy and Ayurveda doctors, have been trained while orientation programmes for teachers are being conducted locally," she said.

Why vaccination matters
Over the past five years, 40 children in the district have been diagnosed with Japanese Encephalitis, and 11 of them died. It's a viral disease with no specific treatment and can severely affect the brain. Early detection is difficult. Initial symptoms include high fever, headache and vomiting. In severe cases, the illness can progress to seizures, unconsciousness, coma and even death.

Diagnosis requires testing of cerebrospinal fluid, which can be challenging, especially in children. If the disease is not identified within the first week, the risk of death increases significantly. The mortality rate is around 30 per cent. Health experts strongly recommend preventive vaccination as the most effective protection against JE.

In districts like Alappuzha, which have large populations of water birds, children are already receiving routine immunisations alongside the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine. Along with Malappuram, Kozhikode will also launch its vaccination drive against the disease for the first time on January 12.

How Japanese Encephalitis spreads
The virus responsible for JE is primarily carried by water birds. Mosquitoes act as the bridge, transmitting the virus from birds to humans. The virus can also move from birds to pigs and from pigs back to mosquitoes. Both migratory and local birds carry the virus, though it does not cause them any harm.

Number of children to be vaccinated in Malappuram

• Total: 14,79,497
• Age 1–5 years: 3,47,918
• Age 6–10 years: 3,58,558
  Age 11–15 years: 7,73,021