Kathmandu, April 2 -- All people aged 30 and above in Madi Municipality and ward 19 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Chitwan district will be vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis (JE), as health authorities have prioritised these areas amid rising infections.

Last month, authorities administered the JE vaccine to everyone aged 35 and above in neighbouring Nawalparasi East, the district most affected by the virus in Nepal this fiscal year.

"We have selected the districts and local bodies based on risk assessment. We have focussed on areas with high morbidity and mortality rates, " said Dr Abhiyan Gautam, chief of the Immunisation Section at the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Services. "Due to a lack of vaccin...