On March 1, 2012, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced that this year’s nationwide Japanese encephalitis vaccination program for children would begin on March 12. Local health units and contracted hospitals have been notified to announce the vaccination campaign to the general public and take part in the campaign accordingly.

A 2-dose regimen for routine childhood Japanese encephalitis vaccination is recommended for all toddlers aged 15 months and the 2 doses should be given two weeks apart. A booster dose should be given one year after the 2-dose primary vaccination. A second booster should be administered when the child attends first grade at elementary school. According to the past epidemiological data, Japanese encephalitis transmission season in Taiwan occurs annually between May and October and the peak transmission period usually occurs between June and July. To maximize the effectiveness of the vaccination, parents are urged to have their children vaccinated as soon as the vaccination campaign begins.

For more information on relevant prevention measures or Japanese encephalitis vaccination, please call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922, or 0800-024582 if calling from a cell phone, or visit the Taiwan CDC’s website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw.