encephalitis and herpes

[m972100]

i got HSV-1 ORAL 4 months ago then i read somthing in the internet and i can't avoid thinking of it please doctor i have 5 questions about it .Does HSV-1  can cause encephalitis???what is the risk of  encephalitis how much that happen??How can i avoide that?? is there any  vaccine  to prevent encephalitis???

[Dallasfan]

Thanks Ingrid. Hope you are very well now. I must remind all that our Doctors do not read or post answers on this forum. Google searching I found a good article on the Emedicine site. Thank goodness Herpes encephalitis is relatively rare. This article cited a rate of 3 cases per 100,000. of people infected with Herpes  The Herpes they mentioned in the article was both type 1 and type 2. Herpes-zoster(the Herpes that causes chickenpox) can rarely cause encephalitis. There is now a good vaccine for Herpes-zoster.

[Ingrid728]

I am a survivor of herpes simplex encephalitis.  This is a rare illness, something like 1 in 100,000 people get it each year.  I had the chicken pox when I was a little girl which is a herpes virus.  The herpes virus does not ever leave your body.  Some people get cold sores or shingles.  There is no vaccine (yet).

Ingrid/NYS
HSE 12/95 (I was 45 years old)

www.encephalitisglobal.org -- a website for survivors and their caregivers