At least 20 lakh children between two and 15 years of age would be administered Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine in a month-long campaign starting on November 25.

The state health department has asked for 50,000 vials of the vaccine from the Centre. National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, has developed the specially designed vaccine to combat both JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), which has been creating havoc in Muzaffarpur of late.

District immunisation officer Dineshwar Singh confirmed that 50,000 vials had been sought from the Union health ministry.

Singh added that the Muzaffarpur district had already prepared a detailed micro plan to achieve the desired results.

The vaccination will be formally launched on November 25 and this will continue for at least a month.

Children belonging to the age bracket of two to 15 years, would be vaccinated at all government hospitals, primary health centres, sub health centres and anganwadi centres among other places.

Singh said each of the 50,000 vials could be used for vaccinating 50 children.

The health department has decided to launch it in Muzaffarpur and Gaya besides 17 partially affected districts facing the JE and the AES threat. Health and anganwadi personnel have been imparted training to complete the task meticulously, said Singh.

Senior NIV scientist A.P. Tandle told The Telegraph that the institute invented JE vaccination after hectic laboratory works.

“It has been found more effective than the previously used vaccination of the JE imported from China,” said Tandle, who was in touch with the investigation of viruses so far and visited umpteen number of times in Muzaffarpur and its surrounding areas.

He hoped that the newly invented vaccination might help in mitigating the threat of acute encephalitis syndrome too.

Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital superintendent G.K. Thakur said the NIV’s JE vaccination is considered as a protective measure from the menace of the AES.

So far, the scientists are in dark about the AES viruses. First time in 1996-97, the JE epidemic broke out in Muzaffarpur and hundreds of children died of it.

But it turned dormant later.

Thereafter, the epidemic of encephalitis has assumed an alarming proportion since 2005.