To save the children from the scourge of killer encephalitis the state government has decided to start a massive vaccination programme in which children up to 15 years of age would be vaccinated with ante-encephalitis vaccines. “This year we want to minimize the loss of precious lives due to encephalitis and therefore we have decided to start a massive vaccination drive in the endemic regions where encephalitis regularly kills children,” Health Minister Ahmad Hasan told The Pioneer here on Thursday. He said that state government has requested Union Government to provide adequate vaccines. “The indigenous production of anti-encephalitis vaccine is very low. We have only one unit in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh which cannot meet the demand of Indian market. Indian government imports this vaccine from China and Korea. We have asked Indian Government to give us 30 lakh viles of vaccines,” he said. The demand is additional to regular immunization programme carried out in the state. There are 23 districts in Uttar Pradesh, majority of them in eastern part of the state, where encephalitis is in endemic form. Over 600 deaths were reported last year in UP. All these deaths were reported from BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur – which is the nodal centre for treatment of encephalitis. The disease which passes into human beings from pigs through mosquito is fatal for children up to 15 years of age. Another form of encephalitis passes into human body through contaminated water. The symptom of the disease is high fever accompanied with seizers. Almost 30 per cent of children die of this disease while another 30 per cent who survive the attack turn mentally disabled. The survival rate is just 40 per cent. As Uttar Pradesh needs to vaccinate over 30 lakh children up to 15 years of age the state has asked for special permission from the union government to directly purchase these medicines from the China or Korea. “In the last meeting with senior officials of Union Health Department, in which Union Health Minister JP Nadda was also present Uttar Pradesh has offered to purchase required vaccines directly from China or Korea. The money should be reimbursed by the union government as this vaccination campaign is a national campaign. Money from NRHM could be used to purchase vaccines,” a senior official in the Health directorate said. “We are yet to hear from the Union Government on this count,” he said.