Symptoms
Symptoms of encephalitis usually appear within 2 days to 2 weeks of exposure to the virus. In milder cases, symptoms may resemble the flu. In severe cases of full-blown encephalitis, symptoms may include:
- Behavioral and personality changes
- Sensitivity to light
- Fever
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Lethargy and reduced consciousness
- Seizures -- uncommon with West Nile virus
- Memory loss
- Stiff neck and back -- Stiff neck with fever and headache would indicate meningitis
- Confusion
- Speech, hearing, and vision problems
- Muscle weakness
- Seizures
- Partial paralysis
- Loss of consciousness
- Coma
Patients experiencing these types of symptoms, (especially if they may have recently been bitten by a mosquito or tick of if they have lesions on the lips or genitals), should immediately seek medical treatment.
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Symptoms in Infants. Infants with herpesvirus encephalitis may develop lesions in the mouth, in the eye, or on the skin within 1 to 45 days after birth. Other symptoms include lethargy, seizures, and changes in temperature. Their fontanels, the soft spots on their head where the skull has not yet closed, may bulge outward.
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