In Uttar Pradesh, a special vaccination drive begins today against Japanese Encephalitis in four severely hit districts of Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar and Maharajganj. <br/><br/>Quoting official sources, AIR correspondent reports that vaccination will be conducted in two blocks each in all four districts of Gorakhpur division during the drive.<br/><br/>The health department has identified 3 to 5 primary and community health centres in each district for the purpose. Official sources claimed that lakhs of children up to 15 years of age in these most vulnerable districts will be immunised during the drive.<br/><br/>As per official sources the state government had demanded about 74 lakhs dozes of vaccines from centre to conduct vaccination drive in 21 blocks of all districts of Basti and Gorakhpur divisions. The state health department has claimed that it has received only 7 lakh fifty thousand dozes and out of it 4 lakhs 87 thousand dozes have been returned due to unusable quality.<br/><br/>The health officials have said that due to non availability of sufficient vaccines vaccination drive is now centralised in only 8 blocks of Gorakhpur division. The state government has already conducted special immunisation drive in 34 districts of the state during the period of 2006 to 2009.<br/><br/>The Japanese Encephalitis has claimed thousands of lives in the Terai region and eastern parts of the state. This year more than 6o people have lost their lives in Gorakhpur and Basti divisions due to JE and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.<br/>