Clinical aspects of Japanese B encephalitis in North Vietnam

The author reports the retrospective study of 116 children suffering from Japanese B encephalitis in recent epidemics. This disease often appeared in summer and affected 2 to 7-year-old children. In the acute stage the clinical picture included meningeal signs, motor disorders, consciousness dysfunction and neurovegetative disturbances. 90.4% of cases presented abnormal features in CSF. Serological tests with Nakayama and H.N-60 strains were positive. B.M-79 Arbo virus was isolated from 1 case. Neuropathological examination revealed typical lesions in 16 cases. Sero-, viro- and anatomical correlations with clinical course confirmed the role of J.B.E. in outbreaks of 'acute encephalitic syndrome' in North Vietnam.