Guwahati, June 14: Japanese Encephalitis (JE) has claimed four lives at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) this year, even as a new scientific study has warned that Assam continues to bear nearly half of the country’s disease burden, highlighting the state’s persistent vulnerability to the mosquito-borne infection.
GMCH Superintendent Dr Devajit Choudhury said 11 JE patients have been admitted to the hospital since April.
“Till Friday, four patients have died, while three have been discharged after recovery,” he said.
Four patients, including two children and two adults, are currently undergoing treatment.
Among the recent fatalities was 30-year-old Narbahadur Chetry of Panikhiti, who was admitted to GMCH on June 6 and later tested positive for JE. Another victim, 58-year-old Subhash Chandra Baishya from Barpeta district, died on Friday.
Most of the patients admitted this year have come from Kamrup district. Of the 11 cases treated at GMCH, six were from Kamrup Rural, including Chaygaon, Mirza and Jyotikuchi.
Dr Choudhury also informed that around 23 to 24 Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) patients are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.
The deaths come at a time when researchers are sounding the alarm over Assam’s growing JE burden.
A recent paper published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene has described Assam’s 2025 outbreak as one of India’s most serious public health crises and called for urgent, targeted interventions.
According to the study by researchers Sabrina Sultana Rahman and Biswa Prasun Chatterji, Assam recorded 389 laboratory-confirmed JE cases and 72 deaths in 2025, accounting for nearly half of India’s reported cases and the majority of JE-related deaths nationwide.
The researchers noted that JE was reported from 33 of Assam’s 35 districts, sparing only Dima Hasao and Hailakandi. The scale of transmission has been significant enough for countries such as Australia and Bhutan to advise travellers to get vaccinated before visiting Assam.
Describing the outbreak as evidence of an “entrenched epidemiological vulnerability”, the study noted that despite years of vaccination drives and public health campaigns, Assam continues to face recurring outbreaks.
The mortality burden has also remained high. More than 840 people died from Japanese Encephalitis in Assam between 2015 and 2024. Deaths peaked at 161 in 2019, while 96 fatalities were reported in 2022, followed by 34 in 2023 and 53 in 2024.
Researchers also highlighted a changing pattern in infections. While vaccination campaigns initially focused on children, adults now account for a significant proportion of cases, suggesting that prevention strategies may need to be revisited.
Japanese Encephalitis is caused by a virus transmitted through infected Culex mosquitoes and can lead to severe brain inflammation, neurological complications and death in serious cases.
With the monsoon season creating favourable conditions for mosquito breeding, health experts have called for stronger surveillance, targeted vaccination of vulnerable populations and greater public awareness to prevent further spread of the disease.
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