The future of Japanese encephalitis vaccination: expert recommendations for achieving and maintaining optimal JE control
Kirsten S. Vannice,
Susan L. Hills,
Lauren M. Schwartz,
Alan D. Barrett,
James Heffelfinger,
Joachim Hombach,
G. William Letson,
Tom Solomon,
Anthony A. Marfin,
the Japanese encephalitis vaccination experts panel
Affiliations
Kirsten S. Vannice
Consultant, PATH
Susan L. Hills
Arboviral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Lauren M. Schwartz
Schwartz Consulting
Alan D. Barrett
Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch
James Heffelfinger
WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific
Joachim Hombach
Department of Immunizations, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization
G. William Letson
PATH
Tom Solomon
National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, and Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool
Anthony A. Marfin
PATH
the Japanese encephalitis vaccination experts panel
Vaccines against Japanese encephalitis (JE) have been available for decades. Currently, most JE-endemic countries have vaccination programs for their at-risk populations. Even so, JE remains the leading recognized cause of viral encephalitis in Asia. In 2018, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and PATH co-convened a group of independent experts to review JE prevention and control successes, identify remaining scientific and operational issues that need to be addressed, discuss opportunities to further strengthen JE vaccination programs, and identify strategies and solutions to ensure sustainability of JE control during the next decade. This paper summarizes the key discussion points and recommendations to sustain and expand JE control.
