Japanese encephalitis Vaccination

Japanese encephalitis is a brain infection that is rare in travellers. The disease is transmitted by a mosquito and occurs almost exclusively in Asia. You are especially at risk of being stung in rural areas near rice fields. The vaccine is only recommended for people working professionally (e.g. biologists, agricultural experts or anthropologists) in high-risk areas for more than a month. If you spend more than 6 months in a high-risk area, vaccination is also to be considered. The vast majority of people who are infected do not notice the disease. Five to 15 days after being stung by an infected mosquito, you may experience fever, headache and loss of strength, behavioural changes and sometimes convulsions. Japanese encephalitis occurs in South and Southeast Asia. In Australia, it occurs only in small part of the country, near Strait ofTorres. In Russia, east of China and north of Japan, it also occurs in a small part of the country.