Why get vaccinated?
Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine can prevent Japanese encephalitis.
- Japanese encephalitis occurs mainly in many parts of Asia and the Western Pacific, particularly in rural areas.
- It is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. It does not spread from person to person.
- Risk is very low for most travelers. It is higher for people living in areas where the disease is common, or for people traveling there for long periods of time.
- Most people infected with JE virus don't have any symptoms. Others might have symptoms as mild as a fever and headache, or as serious as encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
- A person with encephalitis can experience fever, neck stiffness, seizures, and coma. About 1 person in 4 with encephalitis dies. Up to half of those who don't die have permanent disability (for example, brain damage).
- It is believed that infection in a pregnant woman could harm her unborn baby.
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