Japanese encephalitis Prevention in travellers

Introduction

This article is the fourth in a series providing a summary of prevention strategies and vaccination for infections that may be acquired by travellers. The series aims to provide practical strategies to assist general practitioners in giving travel advice, as a synthesis of multiple information sources which must otherwise be consulted.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a potentially fatal arboviral infection prevalent in large parts of Asia, as well as Papua New Guinea and the outer Torres Strait Islands. It is the commonest cause of encephalitis worldwide. Although it seldom affects travellers, its serious consequences and at times unpredictable epidemiology make its prevention an important part of the pre-travel consultation. The phasing out of the previously used mouse brain derived inactivated JE vaccine, and the availability of new, safer vaccines now and in the near future, have prompted a reassessment of vaccination recommendations internationally to include a greater number of travellers.