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Viral encephalitis in children
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 19.11.2021
Viral encephalitis is a large group of acute infectious diseases of the central nervous system caused by neurotropic viruses, mainly from the genus of arboviruses, transmitted to humans by bloodsucking arthropods. The genus of arboviruses includes alphaviruses and flaviviruses. They are part of the Togaviridae family.
Viral encephalitis, caused by arboviruses, is referred to as primary, since the damage to the brain substance in them arises primarily and is the essence of the disease. These encephalitis should be distinguished from secondary viral encephalitis that occurs in many viral diseases (measles, chicken pox, rubella, influenza, mumps, enterovirus infections, etc.).
The most serious human diseases caused by alphaviruses are American equine encephalomyelitis: equine eastern encephalomyelitis, equine western encephalomyelitis and equine Venezuelan encephalomyelitis.
Flaviviruses are the causative agents of tick-borne encephalitis, Saint-Louis encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis.
On the territory of our country, tick-borne encephalitis and mosquito (Japanese) encephalitis are of practical importance.
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