This year, 114 encephalitis deaths have been reported till now. ENCEPHALITIS AND GORAKHPURGorakhpur has been in the grip of Japanese encephalitis (JE) and acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) for four decades. According to official figures, around 25,000 children have died since 1978 due to the two types of encephalitis. The children's deaths in Gorakhpur have a history which began in India with the first report of AES death in the then Madras Presidency in 1956. The Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome are caused by mosquito bites of Culex vishnui and Culex tritaeniorhynchus.

Source: India Today August 12, 2017 06:22 UTC