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Start free with EleplanWestern equine encephalitis
ORPHA:83593Disease
Also called Western equine encephalomyelitis
What it is
An acute arboviral infection caused by an alphavirus of the Togaviridae family transmitted by an infected mosquito, that more frequently affects children and that is characterized by the presence of mild flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia) but that can progress to weakness, altered mental status, photophobia, mental confusion, seizures, somnolence, coma and/or even death. The disease can leave neurological sequelae, mainly in infants and children, such as seizures, spasticity or behavioral disorders.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- <1 / 1 000 000 (annual incidence, United States)
- Age of onset
- All ages
- Inheritance
- Not applicable
- Classified as
- Disease
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
ICD-10 codes
Related health topics
Reached through the ICD-10 categories this disease is filed under, so these describe the broader group rather than this disease specifically.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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