January 1, 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 1)

URL:
http://jepn.org/jepn

Rating:
Strong Points: News, descriptions
Weak Points: Terribly clunky opening page

Summary:
On the subject of deadly diseases, let us not overlook Japanese Encephalitis (JE). A cousin of West Nile virus, this is one to look out for. Whereas West Nile virus kills about 1% of the people who develop symptoms, JE kills one in three and leaves many survivors with brain damage. Like the West Nile virus, JE is transmitted by mosquitoes and can also be carried by birds and pigs. The disease has spread from Japan to India and Australia, and about 50,000 cases are reported annually. The website is a bit of a disappointment, though. It has a clunky opening page interface, which devotes most of its space to creating maps and graphs. The Latest News section gets the short end of the deal on the right side of the page. This disease has much potential human impact, so the page designers need to get serious about their work. A remake of their site would be a good first step.

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