Guwahati: Japanese encephalitis (JE) remains Assam’s deadliest vector-borne disease, with fatalities rising in 2024 and 2025.In the last 10 years, a total of 860 deaths were reported due to three major vector-borne diseases — Japanese encephalitis, dengue and malaria — of which 822 deaths (95.6%) were due to JE.Health minister Ashok Singhal, replying to Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, said JE deaths peaked at 161 in 2019. Fatalities declined to 34 in 2023 but rose to 53 in 2024 and 79 in 2025. Nineteen deaths have been reported in 2026 so far.Dengue and malaria deaths remained comparatively low. Dengue fatalities peaked at seven in 2023, while malaria recorded seven deaths in 2024.Singhal said the govt strengthened prevention, surveillance, vector control, treatment and awareness measures against malaria, dengue, chikungunya, JE, kala-azar and lymphatic filariasis.“A key component of the strategy is continuous disease surveillance. Both active and passive surveillance systems are in place, with health institutions regularly reporting suspected and confirmed cases. Field-level health workers conduct door-to-door visits to identify symptomatic individuals and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. Epidemiological investigations are also carried out to identify high-risk areas, enabling authorities to implement targeted control measures promptly,” he added.
