A total of 224 cases of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) a mosquito-borne viral disease have been reported from 11 states in 2025, the Union government informed Parliament on Friday.
In a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel provided the latest data on encephalitis cases inflammation of the brain often caused by bacterial or viral infections recorded over the past five years.
She noted that 2025, up to June 30, has recorded the lowest number of JE cases compared to the same period in previous years.
The affected states this year are Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Assam reported the highest number of cases at 127, while Uttar Pradesh recorded just two.
Historical data shows fluctuations in JE cases over the years 729 in 2020, rising to 787 in 2021, then 1,109 in 2022. There was a slight dip to 1,107 in 2023, followed by a sharp increase to 1,472 in 2024.
Patel explained that the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC) under the Health Ministry maintains surveillance data on JE. Multiple factors contribute to the burden of encephalitis in India, including environmental, socio-economic, and nutritional conditions. However, timely and standardised reporting remains key for effective disease surveillance and response.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has strengthened its surveillance systems, with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) under the National Health Mission monitoring epidemic-prone diseases such as Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and JE across all 36 States and Union Territories. The programme enables early detection and rapid response to outbreaks, with weekly reporting carried out through a three-tier system capturing suspected and confirmed cases.
In recent years, the IDSP has transitioned from paper-based reporting to the paperless Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), which consolidates data from various registries to provide near real-time health surveillance nationwide. IHIP supports case-based surveillance with geo-tagging, decision-making tools, and integrated dashboards.
The NCVBDC also runs the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Japanese Encephalitis (JE), which focuses on coordinated measures to reduce the spread of the disease. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

224 JE cases detected across 11 Indian states

Assam tops 2025’s JE tally as nationwide surveillance ramps up disease control efforts

224 JE cases detected across 11 Indian states

Assam tops 2025’s JE tally as nationwide surveillance ramps up disease control efforts

August 8, 2025 | 21:40 IST