Mizoram on August 18 reported its first case of Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a viral brain infection that spread through mosquito bites.

State Nodal Officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) Dr Pachuau Lalmalsawma, in a statement, announced the detection of the JE case from a patient in Aizawl. He said that the state health department has recently informed the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) about the detection of a suspected JE case in Trinity hospital and asked for a final decision as it will be the first JE case in the state.

"After perusing the investigation reports of the suspected patient, the NCDC has confirmed the case," Pachuau said in the statement. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a flavivirus related to dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, and is spread by mosquitoes called culex.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), JEV is the main cause of viral encephalitis in many countries of Asia with an estimated 68 000 clinical cases every year. Although symptomatic Japanese encephalitis (JE) is rare, the case-fatality rate among those with encephalitis can be as high as 30 per cent.

According to state health officials, culex mosquitoes that spread the JE virus are common in Mizoram and the safest way to prevent being infected is to avoid mosquito bites by using a mosquito net, and mosquito repellent cream and insecticide like dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and cleaning surroundings to prevent mosquito breeding.