Wednesday, September 21 2005 14:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The Government will carry out mass vaccination against Japanese Encephalitis in the endemic areas and include vaccination against Hepatitis B in the national immunization schedule from next year.

"We will include Hepatitis B vaccination in the national immunization schedule," Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss told reporters in Bangalore.

Asserting that there was a need to create awareness on health issues, Ramadoss said the government aimed to eradicate all diseases, including Kala Azar and Anthrax, from the endemic areas.

On the Japanese Encephalitis (JE) outbreak in Uttar Pradesh, he said "Everybody including the Central and State Governments, is responsible for what happened."

The disease should not be tolerated as something, which is bound to happen every year.

Asked whether compensation would be given to those affected by Japanese Encephalitis, he said the issue needed to be looked into by the State Government.

"However, from next year, government would introduce mass vaccination against JE in the endemic areas of UP and other states such as Assam and Bihar," he said.

For this the capacity to produce mouse brain vaccine (the vaccine so far being used in India) is being increased from five lakh doses to ten lakh. Simultaneously, Indian embassies in Korea, China, Japan, Cambodia and Vietnam have been asked to initiate processes for vaccine import, he said.