JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS

Course overview

JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS IS THE MOST COMMON PREVENTABLE CAUSE OF MOSQUITO-BORNE ENCEPHALITIS IN ASIA, AUSTRALIA, AND THE WESTERN PACIFIC. THE CULEX SPECIES OF MOSQUITOES TRANSMIT THE VIRUS WITH THEIR BITE. TRANSMISSION OCCURS MOST COMMONLY IN AGRICULTURAL AREAS SUCH AS FARMS AND RICE PADDIES BUT MAY OCCUR IN URBAN AREAS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. WHILE THE VAST MAJORITY OF INFECTIONS ARE ASYMPTOMATIC, THOSE WHO DO DEVELOP SYMPTOMS OF ENCEPHALITIS SUFFER SIGNIFICANT MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE CLINICAL EVALUATION OF JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS AND EXPLAINS THE ROLE OF THE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL TEAM IN COORDINATING THE CARE OF THIS CONDITION.