Japanese encephalitis in Indonesia
Wuryadi, S.; Suroso, T.
Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health 20(4): 575-580
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0125-1562 PMID: 2576965 Document Number: 334676
Japanese encephalitis (JE) has not been regarded as a public health problem in Indonesia, for which 2 possible reasons are initially put forward: cross-protection afforded by other flaviviruses, especially dengue virus, and the small size of the pig population in much of the nation. Past studies are then reviewed, making it clear that all the factors for JE virus transmission have nevertheless been present, including circulation of JE virus itself, i.e. its isolation from Culex tritaeniorhynchus and seroconversion of sentinel pigs in a pig-producing area near Jakarta. Morbidity and mortality data of considerable numbers of encephalitis cases in Indonesia hospitals for 1979-86 are presented; in 1982 and 1983 nearly 3 times as many occurred in children <5 than those >5 years of age.