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Local transmission of Japanese encephalitis documented in Africa for first time
April 12, 2017
Researchers have documented the first evidence of locally transmitted Japanese encephalitis in Africa.
According to a letter in The New England Journal of Medicine, the mosquito-borne infection was detected in a blood sample from a patient who was sickened during a recent outbreak of yellow fever in the southern country of Angola.
The case raises questions about the risk of Japanese encephalitis circulating in Africa and causing further human infections, Etienne Simon-Loriere, PhD, from the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and colleagues said.
?Importantly, it is impossible to differentiate [Japanese encephalitis] from other causes of encephalitis without a specific test. If this is not an isolated case, the existence of a vaccine would make it possible to implement public health measures,? Simon-Loriere told Infectious Disease News.
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CORRESPONDENCE
Autochthonous Japanese Encephalitis with Yellow Fever Coinfection in Africa
N Engl J Med 2017; 376:1483-1485April 13, 2017DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1701600
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To the Editor:
Japanese encephalitis virus and yellow fever virus are mosquito-borne flaviviruses that circulate in disjunct geographic areas with different mosquito vectors. Japanese encephalitis is endemic to most of Asia and the Western Pacific, whereas yellow fever occurs in tropical areas of Africa and South America. Both viruses lead to a wide spectrum of disease severities that include asymptomatic infection and mild illness with influenza-like symptoms. However, severe yellow fever disease can be fatal in 20 to 60% of cases,1 whereas symptomatic Japanese encephalitis virus can progress to severe encephalitis, with case fatality rates of up to 30%. Survivors often have long-term neuropsychological sequelae.2
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April 12, 2017
Researchers have documented the first evidence of locally transmitted Japanese encephalitis in Africa.
According to a letter in The New England Journal of Medicine, the mosquito-borne infection was detected in a blood sample from a patient who was sickened during a recent outbreak of yellow fever in the southern country of Angola.
The case raises questions about the risk of Japanese encephalitis circulating in Africa and causing further human infections, Etienne Simon-Loriere, PhD, from the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and colleagues said.
?Importantly, it is impossible to differentiate [Japanese encephalitis] from other causes of encephalitis without a specific test. If this is not an isolated case, the existence of a vaccine would make it possible to implement public health measures,? Simon-Loriere told Infectious Disease News.
...
CORRESPONDENCE
Autochthonous Japanese Encephalitis with Yellow Fever Coinfection in Africa
N Engl J Med 2017; 376:1483-1485April 13, 2017DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1701600
Share:
ArticleMetrics
To the Editor:
Japanese encephalitis virus and yellow fever virus are mosquito-borne flaviviruses that circulate in disjunct geographic areas with different mosquito vectors. Japanese encephalitis is endemic to most of Asia and the Western Pacific, whereas yellow fever occurs in tropical areas of Africa and South America. Both viruses lead to a wide spectrum of disease severities that include asymptomatic infection and mild illness with influenza-like symptoms. However, severe yellow fever disease can be fatal in 20 to 60% of cases,1 whereas symptomatic Japanese encephalitis virus can progress to severe encephalitis, with case fatality rates of up to 30%. Survivors often have long-term neuropsychological sequelae.2
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