Global Campaign Launched: Battling Encephalitis Amid Climate Crisis

Encephalitis International has launched a global campaign to raise awareness about the rising threat of encephalitis exacerbated by climate change. The campaign emphasizes vaccination to combat increasing cases of encephalitis and other preventable diseases. It highlights the role of climate change in spreading vectors of infectious diseases like mosquitoes and ticks.

The UK-based Encephalitis International has initiated a global awareness campaign called 'Preventing Future Encephalitis: Climate Change and Infectious Disease'. The campaign seeks to underscore the importance of vaccines in mitigating the growing threat of encephalitis and other diseases that can be prevented through immunization.

Encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain's active tissues, is caused primarily by infections or an autoimmune response. As climate change heightens the risk, the organization is prompting awareness of how warming climates favor the spread of infections leading to encephalitis worldwide.

Highlighting the urgency, Dr. Ava Easton, the Chief Executive of Encephalitis International, explained how changing ecosystems allow disease vectors, such as mosquitoes, to establish themselves in new regions. The lobby for widespread vaccination is supported by WHO figures, illustrating significant past success in preventing millions of deaths through vaccines.

(With inputs from agencies.)