Union Health Minister launched Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine -JENVAC

The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad on 4 October 2013 launched the indigenously produced Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine JENVAC in New Delhi.

The vaccine has been jointly developed by scientists of National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune, Indian Council of Medical Research and Bharat Biotech Limited- Hyderabad.

JENVAC is India’s first indigenously developed vaccine for treating Japanese Encephalitis, a mosquito-borne viral disease that affects the brain. The newly developed JENVAC is the highly purified inactivated vaccine can be administered during epidemics without the fear of adverse effects. It is available in both single dose and five dose presentations. The vaccine has been developed under the Public Private Partnership mode.

Japanese Encephalitis, which is prevalent in 171 districts of 19 States, affects mostly children below 15 years. About 25 per cent of the affected children die and among survivors, 30 to 40 per cent suffer from physical and mental impairment. The indigenous production will now improve the efficacy, availability and affordability of the vaccine which is presently being imported from China.