Mass immunisation to eradicate Japanese encephalitis: Real-world evidence from Guizhou Province in 2005-2021

Wan-Xue Zhang; Suye Zhao; Chunliu Pan; Yiguo Zhou; Chao Wang; Liping Rui; Juan Du; Ting-Ting Wei; Ya-Qiong Liu; Ming Liu; Qing-Bin Lu; Fuqiang Cui

doi:10.1016/j.jve.2024.100366

Mass immunisation to eradicate Japanese encephalitis: Real-world evidence from Guizhou Province in 2005-2021

J Virus Erad. 2024 Mar 24;10(1):100366. doi: 10.1016/j.jve.2024.100366. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Authors

Wan-Xue Zhang^{1

2}, Suye Zhao³, Chunliu Pan⁴, Yiguo Zhou^{1

5}, Chao Wang⁶, Liping Rui³, Juan Du¹, Ting-Ting Wei^{1

2}, Ya-Qiong Liu⁶, Ming Liu³, Qing-Bin Lu^{1

2

5

6

7}, Fuqiang Cui^{1

2

5

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Infectious Disease and Policy Research & Global Health and Infectious Diseases Group, Peking University, Beijing, China.
² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
³ Institute for Immunization Program, Guizhou Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guiyang, China.
⁴ Guiyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guiyang, China.
⁵ Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
⁶ Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology & Vaccine Research Center, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Epidemiology of Major Diseases (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Objectives: To explore epidemiological changes of Japanese encephalitis (JE) in a long-time span and evaluate the impact of mass immunisation.

Method: Data on JE cases from hospitals and the county Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Guizhou Province was collected between 2005 and 2021. Epidemiological changes were analyzed according to a series of policy implementations and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Results: A total of 5138 JE cases and 152 deaths were reported in Guizhou Province during 2005-2021. The average incidence and case fatality rates were 0.83/100,000 and 2.96%, respectively. The JE prevalence showed a declining trend over the years with the reduced incidence gap between age groups and narrowing of the high-epidemic regions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the JE activity reached its nadir in 2020. The inclusion in the Expanded Program on Immunization of the JE vaccine and catch-up immunisations showed a significant impact on the JE declining incidence rate.

Conclusions: The implementation of JE immunisation programs has played a crucial role in controlling its spread. Continued efforts should be made to maintain high coverage of the JE vaccine and strengthen disease surveillance systems, ensuring JE effective control and eventual elimination.

Keywords: COVID−19; Epidemiology; Japanese encephalitis; Vaccine.