Timing
Started at least 4 weeks before travel, since the full course is spread over 4 weeks.
Typical course
2 doses, 4 weeks apart under the standard schedule.
Often relevant for
- rural South and South East Asia
- parts of the Indian subcontinent and Far East
Japanese encephalitis is rare in travellers overall, but it can cause serious, sometimes lasting neurological illness, which is why it is taken seriously for specific higher-risk trips rather than recommended across the board.
Risk is highest for longer stays (a month or more), repeated trips to the same region, or travel during and after the rainy season when mosquito numbers rise.
Mosquito bite avoidance (repellent, covering up, bed nets) remains the first line of defence alongside vaccination, since no vaccine removes risk completely.
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