Encephalitis in Nepal: the visitation of the goddess of the forest.

Examination of hospital records from BMH Dharan and the large Nepalese hospital at Biratnagar has revealed a worrying trend in the incidence of acute encephalitis in the area of the British Military Cantonment at Dharan. The weight of available evidence strongly favours Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) as the aetiological agent. Serological studies from healthy Nepalese from the Dharan area and animals from the Cantonment farm indicate that intense transmission of JEV occurs within the Cantonment area. Japanese Encephalitis (JE) must now be regarded as a serious threat to British Military personnel and dependants living in or visiting Nepal. Protective measures, particularly active immunisation are discussed.