International organizers are proud to announce the FACES to FACES Encephalitis Conference, to be held in Enfield Connecticut USA on August 6th to August 8th, 2004.
FACES (Friends And Caregivers, Encephalitis Survivors) represents a strong and dedicated group of people striving to share information and support, and to raise awareness on the topic of encephalitis. Previous Conferences held in Ottawa Canada, and Las Vegas Nevada, welcomed survivors, caregivers and loved ones from India and Great Britain, as well as Canada and the United States.
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain, commonly caused by a viral infection.
Victims are usually exposed to viruses resulting in encephalitis by insect bites or food and drink. The most frequently encountered agents are arboviruses (carried by mosquitoes or ticks) and enteroviruses (coxsackievirus, poliovirus and echovirus). Some of the less frequent agents are measles, rabies, mumps, varicella and herpes simplex viruses.
Patients with encephalitis suffer from fever, headache, vomiting, confusion, drowsiness and photophobia. The symptoms of encephalitis are caused by brain's defense mechanisms being activated to get rid of infection (brain swelling, small bleedings and cell death). Neurologic examination usually reveals a stiff neck due to the irritation of the meninges covering the brain. Examination of the cerebrospinal fluid obtained by a lumbar puncture procedure reveals increased amounts of proteins and white blood cells with normal glucose. A CT scan examination is performed to reveal possible complications of brain swelling, brain abscess or bleeding. Lumbar puncture procedure is performed only after the possibility of a prominent brain swelling is excluded by a CT scan examination.
Treatment is usually symptomatic. Reliably tested specific antiviral agents are available only for a few viral agents (e.g. acyclovir for herpes) and are used with limited success.
Environmental stressors linked to fetal brain development challenges