The encephalitis symptoms in the milder cases can include headache, fever, loss of appetite, loss of energy and a sick feeling. In the severe cases the symptoms may relate to central nervous system which include severe headache, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, personality changes, disorientation, hallucination, drowsiness, memory loss and coma.

When you approach your physician, he will first ask you about your travel history, because the location and seasonal occurrence can be a clue to identify the cause of encephalitis. The physician may ask you to have get some blood tests done, which include CBC. He can also ask for a CT scan, polymerase chain reaction (DNA study), reading of electrical activity of brain with an EEG and lastly a brain biopsy, it would be given the last preference, according to emedicine health.

The treatment of encephalitis depends on the diagnosis of the disease like antiviral drugs can be used to treat the viral types of encephalitis, cortcosteroids can be used to reduce the inflammation of brain. Anticonvulsants can be used to reduce the seizures. The main aim of the treatment is symptom relief.

The Encephalitis Society, a UK based organization founded in 1994, aims to improve the quality of life of the people diagnosed with encephalitis in a direct or indirect way. The objective of the organization is to assist the elders and children with encephalitis, to produce evidence based information about the disease, to increase the awareness about the disease and to conduct research.