This was encephalitis lethargica, the “forgotten epidemic” described in Carlson's book. It has been estimated that it left about 500,000 people dead or disabled. Roughly one-third died acutely ...

Wang Huaqing, chief immunization planning expert at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the whooping ...

is taking the fall for the epidemic. The common ground between litchi and encephalitis is Muzaffarpur, the centre of the outbreak and the country’s biggest litchi producing district.

The incidence of measles remains below one per 1 million, while hepatitis A, Japanese encephalitis and epidemic meningitis continue to occur at low levels. Last year, the country saw a sharp ...