Debosmita Ghosh • 09 Aug 2024
Amid Viral Encephalitis Outbreak, Here Are Top Symptoms To Watch Out
Viral Encephalitis Claims 73 Lives In Gujarat
Gujarat is witnessing one of the worst outbreaks of the Chandipura virus. According to reports, Health Minister J P Nadda in Rajya Sabha said that there were 53 confirmed cases of Chandipura virus in the country. Of these cases, 19 of them had died and all of them were from Gujarat. Other than these, 162 viral encephalitis cases have been reported in Gujarat with a death toll of 73, according to a report in The Hindu.
What is Chandipura Virus?
Chandipura Virus (CHPV) is a member of Rhabdoviridae and has caused outbreaks in rural areas of India. The infection usually affects children. It has symptoms that are similar to encephalitis and can be fatal. Encephalitis is the inflammation of the tissues of the brain which is caused by an infection or an autoimmune response. The inflammation causes the brain to swell, which can lead to headaches, stiff neck, sensitivity to light, mental confusion and seizures. Encephalitis can sometimes lead to death.
Encephalitis can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, or by immune cells mistakenly attacking the brain. Viruses that can lead to encephalitis can be spread by insects such as mosquitos and ticks.
Symptoms of Encephalitis
The condition may cause different symptoms in different people. It can also cause changes in sight or hearing. Some of the symptoms of infectious encephalitis are:
- Headache
- Fever
- Aches in muscles or joints
- Fatigue or weakness.
These symptoms are followed by more serious symptoms. These include:
- Stiff neck
- Confusion, agitation or hallucinations
- Seizures
- Loss of feeling or being unable to move certain areas of the face or body
- Irregular movements
- Muscle weakness
- Trouble with speech or hearing
- Loss of consciousness, including coma.
- Bulging of the soft spots of an infant's skull
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stiffness affecting the whole body
- Poor feeding or not waking for a feeding
- Irritability.
Complications of Encephalitis
There are different factors that impact the complications of encephalitis. These factors are your age, the cause of infection, the severity of your illness and the time from disease onset to treatment. People with relatively mild illness usually recover within a few weeks with no long-term complications, says Mayo Clinic.
Here, take a look at the complications of serious illness.
- Inflammation can injure the brain, possibly resulting in a coma or death
- Fatigue that doesn't go away
- Weakness or lack of muscle coordination
- Personality changes
- Memory problems
- Hearing or vision changes
- Trouble with speech.
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