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encephalitis
An infection affecting the substance of the brain, usually caused by a virus. It is a rare complication of certain common diseases (e.g., mumps, herpes simplex) and a specific manifestation of less common viruses, often carried by insects. Typically an acute illness with headache and fever, it may lead to evidence of patchy inflammation of brain tissue, such as personality change, epilepsy, localized weakness, or rigidity. It may progress to impairment of consciousness and coma. A particular type, Encephalitis lethargica, occurred as an epidemic, early in the 20th century leading to a chronic disease resembling Parkinson's disease but often with permanent mental changes.
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• HEALTH AND DISEASE
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