Makati’s next vaccination program targets Japanese encephalitis

After providing its residents immunization shots against dengue and flu, the Makati City government has rolled out its vaccination program against Japanese encephalitis (JE).

More than 60,000 City Hall employees and public school students from Kinder to Grade 6 will be given free shots to protect them from the mosquito-borne disease, said Dr. Bernard Sese, officer in charge of the city health department.

The vaccination program for City Hall employees will be conducted until the end of the year. Students, on the other hand, will start getting their immunization shots in January 2018.

JE has no known cure and affects mostly children below 15 years old. It causes inflammation of the brain, leading to a coma, seizures and paralysis with a fatality rate of 20 to 30 percent.

Dengue and JE have similar symptoms, including high fever that lasts for days, chills, headaches, fatigue and nausea.