Kathmandu, June 9 -- All people residing in 11 districts highly affected by the spread of the Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus will be vaccinated in the upcoming fiscal year.

Though immunisation experts had recommended vaccinating the entire at-risk population that has not yet received the vaccine, the government has decided to cover only 11 districts with high JE burden due to funding constraints, officials say.

"We have succeeded in convincing officials to allocate funds for vaccination in 11 districts, which have high disease burden," said Dr Abhiyan Gautam, chief of the Immunisation Section at the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Services. "Something is better than nothing. Experts have recommended immunising t...