how many cases of japanese encephalitis
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia, with up to 70,000 cases reported annually. Case-fatality rates range from 0.3% to 60% and depend on the population and age. Rare outbreaks in U.S. territories in the Western Pacific have also occurred.
It's very rare for travellers visiting risk areas to be affected by Japanese encephalitis. It's estimated that less than one in a million travellers develop Japanese encephalitis in any given year. There hasn't been a reported case in a traveller returning to the UK for more than 10 years. The people most at risk are those who live and work in rural areas where the condition is widespread. Around 75% of cases involve children under the age of 15. Find out more about the causes of Japanese encephalitis and the countries and activities which have a higher risk of catching the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there are around 68,000 cases of Japanese encephalitis worldwide each year.