In Uttar Pradesh, the menace of encephalitis continues unabated as the death toll has reached 281 since January this year. As many as seven people have succumbed to the disease in Baba Raghav Das Medical College Hospital during past two days. Our Gorakhpur correspondent reports that the dead include two each from Kushinagar and Sant Kabir Nagar and one patient each from Gorakhpur, Deoria and neighbouring state Bihar. As many as 314 patients of encephalitis syndrome are being treated in BRD Medical College and other hospitals of Gorakhpur and Basti divisions. Meanwhile the state Director General (health) S P Ram has said that, of the total samples collected, 10% were tested positive for Japanese Encephalitis while the rest were of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome-AES. He said the centre has sent 75 lakh doses of JE vaccine for vulnerable population of eastern UP. Our Gorakhpur correspondent says, no vaccine has so far been developed for AES. A field laboratory of National Institute of Virology, Pune has been established in BRD Medical College where the blood samples of AES patients are being studied. AIR Gorakhpur correspondent adds that, of total 1400 cases of encephalitis found this year around two hundred were found positive for JE while rest have been marked as the cases of AES.