Hospital-based surveillance of Japanese encephalitis at a tertiary hospital in Manila.
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is endemic in the Philippines but the incidence and burden of disease are not well established. We conducted a prospective hospital-based study at San Lazaro Hospital, a tertiary level hospital in Manila, from September 2005 to December 2006. Cases were determined using an in-house dengue and Japanese encephalitis (JE) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in order to detect the proportion of JE cases among the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) cases admitted to our hospital. Fifteen patients were found to have AES, of whom 6 (40%) had confirmed JE. Of the JE cases, 4 were females and 2 were males with an age range of 3-14 years. Three of the 6 JE cases occurred during July. The most common signs and symptoms on admission among JE cases were: fever, headache, loss of appetite, neck rigidity and altered sensorium. JE likely comprises a significant proportion of hospitalized AES cases among children from Manila and nearby provinces. Further studies on the nation-wide prevalence and distribution of JE in the Philippines are needed to guide health authorities in disease control and prevention strategies.
Department of Virology, US Army Medical Component - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Ma Theresa P
MT
Alera
Department of Virology, US Army Medical Component - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
John Mark S
JM
Velasco
Department of Virology, US Army Medical Component - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Charity Ann
CA
Ypil-Cardenas
Department of Virology, US Army Medical Component - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Richard G
RG
Jarman
Department of Virology, US Army Medical Component - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Ananda N
AN
Nisalak
Department of Virology, US Army Medical Component - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Butsaya
B
Thaisomboonsuk
Department of Virology, US Army Medical Component - Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Robert V
RV
Gibbons
San Lazaro Hospital, Manila, Philippines.
Efren M
EM
Dimaano
San Lazaro Hospital, Manila, Philippines.
In-Kyu
IK
Yoon
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004672:Encephalitis, Japanese / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010679:Philippines / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers