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Viral encephalitis in children
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
Viral encephalitis is a large group of acute infectious diseases of the central nervous system caused by neurotropic viruses, mainly from the genus arboviruses, transmitted to humans by blood-sucking arthropod vectors. The genus arboviruses includes alphaviruses and flaviviruses. They are part of the togavirus family (Togaviridae).
Viral encephalitis caused by arboviruses is classified as primary, since damage to the brain tissue occurs primarily and is the essence of the disease. These encephalitis should be distinguished from secondary viral encephalitis, which occurs with many viral diseases (measles, chickenpox, rubella, influenza, mumps, enterovirus infections, etc.).
The most severe human diseases caused by alphaviruses are the American equine encephalomyelitis diseases: Eastern equine encephalomyelitis, Western equine encephalomyelitis, and Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis.
Flaviviruses are the causative agents of tick-borne encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile encephalitis.
In our country, tick-borne encephalitis and mosquito-borne (Japanese) encephalitis are of practical importance.
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