Mumbai: UK-based Encephalitis International on Tuesday launched a global campaign titled ‘Preventing Future Encephalitis: Climate Change and Infectious Disease’ to promote the importance of vaccination against the rising threat of encephalitis and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the active tissues of the brain caused by an infection or an autoimmune response. In a release issued on Tuesday, Encephalitis International said the campaign aims to raise awareness about how climate change was exacerbating the risk of encephalitis in India and globally.
The UK-based health charity organisation said the warming planet was creating conditions favourable to the spread of infections that can lead to encephalitis. Encephalitis affects over 1.5 million people globally each year – about three people every minute. Yet, nearly 77 per cent of the population remains unaware of the condition, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment, the release said.
“As the earth warms, new and emerging infections, including those that cause Encephalitis, will continue to rise. The vectors that can spread infectious diseases like mosquitoes and ticks are moving to new communities and environments,” said Dr Ava Easton, Chief Executive of Encephalitis International.
Easton added that changing human and animal interactions and the movement of disease-carrying vectors like mosquitoes into new areas are compounding the risk. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, meningitis and encephalitis, are increasing globally, whereas diseases like diphtheria, once well-controlled, are also at risk of re-emerging.
“Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past five decades,” the release quoted World Health Organization (WHO)’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are increasing around the world, putting lives at risk and exposing countries to increased treatment costs,” he said.
India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), one of the world’s largest, targets 27 million infants and 30 million pregnant women annually. It provides free vaccination against 12 diseases, including Japanese Encephalitis in endemic areas, the release said. India reported 1,548 cases of Japanese encephalitis from 24 states and union territories in 2024, underscoring the scale of the challenge.
Encephalitis International is hosting a global webinar on April 29 to explore the link between climate change and the rising burden of encephalitis, as well as strategies to boost vaccine coverage, especially in rural areas. “A vaccinated world is a safer world – each shot is a step towards freedom from preventable diseases,” Dr Netravathi M, a professor at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) Bengaluru, said, highlighting the long-term benefits of vaccination.
