Epidemiology of Japanese encephalitis in the Philippines prior to routine immunization
International Journal of Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.10.061
- PMID
- 33127505
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W3096286532
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings supported a subnational immunization campaign launched in northern regions in April 2019 and underscore the need to incorporate JE vaccine into the national immunization program with sustained high-quality surveillance to assess control efforts.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study aimed to update the epidemiology of Japanese encephalitis in the Philippines using data from a revitalized surveillance system following policy responses to earlier findings on JE endemicity.
Study design
The authors conducted a systematic review searching electronic databases and conference proceedings through December 2018, and analyzed national surveillance data from January 2014 through December 2017.
Population and setting
The study examined JE in the Philippines, with seroprevalence data stratified by age groups including infants and children, and incidence estimates calculated for children using the 2015 national population census.
Main findings
Four studies documented JE seroprevalence in the Philippines, demonstrating an age-related increase with rates ranging from 0% in infants to higher levels in older age groups. The improved surveillance confirmed the disease burden in the country.
Public-health relevance
The findings supported a subnational immunization campaign launched in northern regions in April 2019 and underscore the need to incorporate JE vaccine into the national immunization program with sustained high-quality surveillance to assess control efforts.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. A complete assessment of study limitations, including potential biases in surveillance data quality, geographic coverage gaps, and temporal lag between data collection and policy implementation, requires access to the full published manuscript.
GIDS interpretation
This publication would be discoverable through disease-specific queries for Japanese encephalitis, geographic filters for the Philippines, and topic filters for surveillance systems and vaccination programs. It provides epidemiologic context for understanding JE burden in Southeast Asian settings where immunization policy is evolving.
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 7 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.