Encephalitis vaccine mulled for adults

Adults will soon have an equal chance to fight the deadly Japanese encephalitis virus, as Dispur has decided to inoculate them with the vaccine that is so far known to be effective only in children below 15 years. The state government’s move comes after the Regional Medical Research Council (RMRC), Lahowal, under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Dibrugarh, established that the Japanese encephalitis vaccine was safe for grown-ups as well. The research council’s two-year study, which concluded recently, is the first such endeavour in the world. Its findings are yet to be released in the public domain. It has submitted its results to the Union ministry of health and shared it with the state government. Armed with the findings, the state government will start inoculating adults with the vaccine in five districts prone to the disease. Confirming the development, state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told The Telegraph over phone from...