On Tuesday, April 29, UK-based health charity Encephalitis International launched a global campaign to promote the importance of prevention and vaccination against encephalitis and other vaccine-preventable diseases. The campaign is titled “Preventing Future Encephalitis: Climate Change and Infectious Disease” and stresses the role played by climate change in the spread of encephalitis worldwide. The disease affects over 1.5 million people globally each year, but it remains widely unknown by the public, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Dr Ava Easton, Chief Executive of Encephalitis International, said that global warming is increasing the number of infections, including those that cause encephalitis, due to the spread of disease-carrying vectors like ticks and mosquitoes in new environments. She added that changing human and animal interactions are compounding the risk. Vaccination is key to fight this phenomenon, and Encephalitis International has discussed strategies to boost vaccine coverage, especially in rural areas, during a global webinar held on April 29.
India is one of the countries’ most affected by the rise of encephalitis cases. In 2024, Indian health authorities reported 1548 cases of Japanese encephalitis across 24 states and union territories. In response, they have included vaccination against the disease in their Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), which targets 27 million infants and 30 million pregnant women yearly. Speaking with The Economic Times, Dr Netravathi M, a professor at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru, said that “a vaccinated world is a safer world”, emphasising the importance of vaccines for freeing the world from preventable diseases.
