Encephalitis
A Guide for Travelers
Excerpted from Virginia Dept of Health, where
you can find much more information.
Japanese Encephalitis
Causes
Japanese encephalitis is a rare but potentially severe viral disease that is spread by infected mosquitoes in the agricultural regions of China and Korea.
It is one of several mosquito-borne virus diseases that can affect the central nervous system and cause severe complications and death.
Encephalitis means inflammation of the brain.
Primary encephalitis is an illness in which an infectious agent,
such as a bacteria or virus, directly invades the brain.
The illness is often carried to humans from mosquitoes and ticks.
Symptoms:
Encephalitis frequently presents with
severe headache, convulsions (seizures), stiff neck, inability to look at
bright lights, double vision, difficulty walking, problems with speech or
hearing, difficulty moving an arm or leg, loss of sensation anywhere in the
body, personality changes, problems in memory, extreme drowsiness, loss of
consciousness.
Treatment
A person with encephalitis needs hospital care.
Since antibiotics are not effective against viruses, they are not used to treat encephalitis.
There is no specific treatment for Japanese encephalitis.
Contagiousness
Since many different viruses can cause encephalitis, the contagiousness varies according to the specific virus involved.
Generally, you will not catch encephalitis from someone who has it. If the
encephalitis resulted from another disease, such as measles, and you had
contact with the person while he or she was sick with the initial disease,
you may need some protection from that disease.
Prevention:
Encephalitis, which is associated with a number of viral illnesses such as
mononucleosis, cannot be prevented.
A vaccine is licensed for use in travelers whose itineraries might put them at risk for Japanese encephalitis.
Duration
For most forms of encephalitis, the acute phase of the illness lasts from a few days to one week.
Unless the illness is severe, recovery usually takes two to three weeks.
In a small percentage of cases, encephalitis (especially herpes simplex encephalitis) can be a life-threatening illness
that requires treatment in a hospital. After the infection ends, full recovery may take many weeks or longer and
may require special therapy. Severe encephalitis can sometimes cause lasting neurological problems.
Precautions
Avoid mosquito bites to prevent
Japanese encephalitis and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Even if you don't take precautions, the likelihood that you will become
infected with Japanese encephalitis is very low.