CASE REPORTS OF JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS:AN UNDERDIAGNOSED ENTITY IN AN ENDEMIC REGION OF UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

Emerging viruses causing Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) can be more damaging due to irreversible brain damage, irrespective of the identical medical characteristics created by all agents. We report two cases of acute encephalitis syndrome caused by Japanese encephalitis virus from a usually under-reported geographic region of India. Both patients were managed conservatively with favourable outcome in one of them.There should be considerable effort to identify the particular causative agent that triggers AES, bearing in mind the various clinical manifestations of Japanese encephalitis virus. Although there is no significant impact on management, it is possible to prevent transmission to healthy contacts and the community through vector control and vaccination.