Health officials said that Japanese Encephalitis has claimed three lives in Assam in the past few weeks. So far, one person has died in Sivsagar district in Upper Assam, and two others have died in Guwahati. Joint Director of Health Services (Kamrup Metro) Bhola Koch said that six cases had tested Japanese Encephalitis positive in Guwahati, and two of these persons later died. Four cases are under treatment at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Koch said that they have already collected 350 blood samples from the area. The positive cases of Japanese Encephalitis are reported and sent to the Mico Biology Laboratory in the GMCH for tests. A total of 38 cases were reported from various areas of the district. However, only four persons tested positive.. Last year, at least 15 districts of Assam were severely affected by Japanese Encephalitis, which killed over 150 people. Sivsagar district recorded the highest deaths as well as positive cases. This had forced the Assam government to launch a vaccination drive to prevent the spread of the disease among adults - the only state to do so.