Japanese encephalitis claimed 15 more lives in northern India, as a health official on Sunday expressed surprise that the recent outbreak _ which had appeared to be fading _ was spreading again. The outbreak has killed 1,038 people, mostly children, in the impoverished northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to government figures. About 300 deaths have also been reported in neighboring Nepal, The Associated Press reported. The disease is easily preventable by vaccinations, but many medical facilities in the area are under funded and understaffed. "Cases are now being reported from newer areas," said O. P. Singh, Uttar Pradesh's director general of health services.
