THE campaign of the Dagupan City Health Office (CHO) against Japanese encephalitis has seen to the immunization of some 4,325 children and adults in the city.

City Health Officer Dr. Ophelia Rivera, said Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a disease contracted from mosquito bites, whose symptoms, i.e., fever, headache, vomiting, confusion, and difficulty moving become visible from 5-15 days.

She said unless treated immediately the symptoms result in swelling around the brain and coma, and may eventually cause untimely death.

Rivera warned that Japanese encephalitis is deadly, citing possible complications such as deafness, paralysis, and other neurological disorders.

The CHO vaccines were given free to children between nine months to 15 years of age, including adults during scheduled vaccination days in the city’s 31 barangays.

Rivera advised parents to take advantage of the free access to the vaccine because it is expensive if bought through drug stores.

Rivera noted Japanese encephalitis is a viral disease that can be acquired from the bite of carrier-mosquitoes but it can also be obtained from pigs and flying birds.

So far, there has been no record of infection recorded in the city but some 74 cases were reported in other parts of Pangasinan since 2016. (Helen Martin)

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