A total of 97 Nepalese, mostly children, have died of Japanese encephalitis in the districts of Terai Belt over the last few days, an official at the Department of Health said on Tuesday.

"Up to 500 people have suffered from the disease so far," G. D. Thakur, officiating head of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division at the Department of Health, told reporters.

The disease has been reported in a dozen districts and that some districts including Kailali, Kanchanpur, Banke, Bardiya and Dang have been more affected, Thakur noted.

"The number of casualty due to encephalitis could go up," Thakur said. A total of 70 persons died of the disease last year, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

About 99 percent of fatality due to encephalitis can be prevented if children are vaccinated in time, Thakur added.

Source: Xinhua