Updated Japanese encephalitis 'green book' chapter published

The Japanese encephalitis chapter in the 'green book' (Immunisation against infectious disease) has been updated

UK Health Security Agency has published updated guidance on Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccination in the 'green book' (Immunisation against infectious disease: Japanese encephalitis. Chapter 20).

Key updates in this revised chapter include:

• new wording on the timing of the second booster dose for children and adults 65 years of age and older.
• a new flowchart to show the vaccine recommendations for British travellers to areas with JE (Figure 1).

Japanese encephalitis is rare in British travellers but can have devastating consequences for those affected. Information is included in the updated chapter on the three reported cases of Japanese encephalitis diagnosed in British travellers in 2014/2015. All resulted in severe neurological illness and long-term sequelae. None of these travellers had received the JE vaccine, despite having indications for it.

Insect bite avoidance should be recommended for all travellers visiting risk areas. The Japanese encephalitis vaccine, Ixiaro, is currently out of stock in the UK. See our news item for further details.

NaTHNaC are in the process of reviewing other Japanese encephalitis resources. These will be posted on TravelHealthPro in due course.

For information on the Japanese encephalitis risk in individual countries please go to our Country Information pages.