Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in Buddharaksa Moral Community: Surveillance, Vectors, and Localized Preventive Care

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a severe viral infection that causes inflammation of the brain. First recorded in Japan in 1871, the disease saw a major outbreak in 1924 with over 6,000 cases reported in Nara Prefecture. Since then, the virus has spread across ecological systems conducive to its transmission particularly in agricultural regions of East and Southeast Asia. Countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Nepal, where rice paddies and pig farming are prevalent, remain endemic zones. In Thailand, periodic cases continue to emerge, especially in the northeast, north, and parts of the central region. This article explores community-level JE surveillance and prevention efforts, focusing on the Buddharaksa Moral Community’s integration of vector control, public health education, and sustainable environmental management in rural settings.