Hospital-based surveillance for Japanese encephalitis in Bangladesh, 2007–2016: Implications for introduction of immunization
International Journal of Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.07.026
- PMID
- 32721530
- PMCID
- PMC7566160
- OpenAlex
- W3045438580
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings suggest Japanese encephalitis remains an important cause of meningo-encephalitis in Bangladesh and support examination of immunization strategies, including routine childhood vaccination or targeted mass vaccination by age group or geographic area, considering cost-effectiveness and disease burden reduction potential.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study aimed to describe Japanese encephalitis epidemiology in Bangladesh through hospital-based surveillance and inform policy decisions regarding potential immunization strategies.
Study design
Hospital-based surveillance for acute meningitis-encephalitis syndrome was conducted at four tertiary hospitals in Bangladesh over a ten-year period from 2007 to 2016.
Population and setting
A total of 6,543 patients with acute meningitis-encephalitis syndrome were identified across four tertiary hospitals in Bangladesh. The median age of JE cases was 30 years, with 35% aged 15 years or younger.
Main findings
Of 6,525 patients tested, 548 (8%) were classified as JE cases, representing patients from 36 of Bangladesh's 64 districts. The highest proportions of JE among AMES patients (12% and 7%) were found at two northwestern hospitals. The majority of JE cases (80%) occurred between July and November.
Public-health relevance
The findings suggest Japanese encephalitis remains an important cause of meningo-encephalitis in Bangladesh and support examination of immunization strategies, including routine childhood vaccination or targeted mass vaccination by age group or geographic area, considering cost-effectiveness and disease burden reduction potential.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Full interpretation of study limitations, including sampling strategy, diagnostic criteria, case ascertainment completeness, and representativeness of the four tertiary hospitals, requires review of the complete published article.
GIDS interpretation
This article was identified through classifier links for Japanese Encephalitis, Bangladesh, and topics including health policy, surveillance, and vaccination. These links reflect the article's subject matter and aid in systematic retrieval; they do not indicate an active outbreak or real-time surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 11 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.