Guwahati: As many as 39 people in Assam have lost their lives to Japanese encephalitis (JE) and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) so far this year, with 32 of these deaths confirmed due to AES, Assam National Health Mission said on Thursday.JE death cases have been going up since the start of June, and seven deaths have been confirmed so far since the beginning of the year, officials said.As per the National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control, Assam data, till June 17, a total of 35 JE cases were reported in the state, of which seven were verified as JE-related.On the other hand, 470 cases and 32 deaths pertain to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) and should not be construed as JE cases or JE-related deaths, the data stated.“Assam govt has been proactively undertaking extensive preparedness measures for the AES-JE season, which generally extends from June to Aug every year. Since Feb 2026, multiple initiatives have been implemented to strengthen surveillance, case management, hospital preparedness, vaccination activities, and inter-departmental coordination across the state,” Assam NHM executive director Dr Abhijit Sarma said.He added that training of nodal medical officers, deployment of district coordinators, dissemination of guidelines and SOPs, strengthening of referral mechanisms, ensuring availability of essential medicines, and expansion of JE vaccination coverage have been undertaken.Sarma said JE and AES are different and should be treated with adequate distinction.“While JE is one of the causes of AES, not all AES cases are JE cases,” he added.Earlier, JE cases were mostly found in upper Assam areas. So far this season, of the 13 JE patients admitted to GMCH, six died in June. Most patients were from the lower Assam region.JE virus spreads to humans through Culex species’s mosquitoes. Pigs and wild birds carry the virus, especially during the rainy season.
