La Crosse Encephalitis — United States
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital is reporting a spike in children diagnosed with a mosquito-borne virus that, left undetected, can cause brain damage or, rarely, death.
Dr. Lori Patterson, infectious disease physician at the hospital, said doctors there have seen 7 children in 4 weeks with La Crosse encephalitis.
Typically, Tennessee sees a dozen cases of the virus in a year.
Though Zika and West Nile viruses get more publicity, La Crosse encephalitis is the state’s and the
…
