Japanese Encephalitis

Virus

The Japanese B-Encephalitis-Virus

Transmission

The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes which have infected themselves from certain animals.

Clinical picture

It is generally a short-term febrile disease; frequently it follows an asymptomatic course. Severe cases of the disease occur mainly in children and in older people.

After an incubation period of 4 to 14 days with fever and signs of meningitis: headaches, nausea and vomiting, dazedness, sleepiness and in severe cases paralyses, cramps and coma. Lethality is approx. 7-30%, in approx. 25% of the cases there is lasting intellectual impairment (Quast U.: Impfreaktionen.Hippokrates (2.Auflage)Stuttgart 1997S.94-95)

Therapy

Due to the fact that it is a viral disease there is no specific therapy.

That is why adequate prophylaxis is important for mosquito bites.

Complications

Brain abscesses, swelling of the brain accompanied by meningitis-like symptoms, intestinal bleeding, intestinal perforations, and inflammation of the heart muscle, pneumonia, and sepsis.

Mortality is approx. 1% with antibiotic therapy.