Child Hospitalized With Encephalitis

A 2-year-old Burlington County girl is undergoing treatment for severe neurological damage after becoming the first person in New Jersey to be infected with equine encephalitis in nearly 20 years.

The girl was hospitalized Aug. 28 after developing a fever, seizures and other symptoms five days earlier, state health officials announced Tuesday.

Doctors diagnosed her with encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, and later tests by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the infection was eastern equine encephalitis, state Health and Senior Services Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy said.

The victim is the 11th reported eastern equine encephalitis case in the United States this year, but the first in New Jersey since 1984.

"The reappearance of eastern equine encephalitis infection in humans in New Jersey with its serious neurological consequences serves a powerful reminder of the importance of avoiding mosquito bites, even late in the season," Lacy said.

Eastern equine encephalitis infections are rare but pose a significantly higher risk of death than West Nile virus infection, health officials said.

About 35 percent of people infected die, according to a CDC fact sheet.

Symptoms range from flulike illness, to inflammation of the brain, coma and death. About 35 percent of those who survive experience mild to severe neurological problems, the CDC said.

There is no licensed vaccine for the disease or effective drugs to treat it, according to the CDC.

People who spend time outdoors are most likely to contract the disease. Those over age 50 or under 15 tend to be most at risk for severe infection.

There have been about 200 confirmed cases nationwide since the disease was first diagnosed in the United States in 1964. States with the largest number of cases are Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Copyright 2003 by NBC 10. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Author: NBC10