INCIDENCE OF CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM INFEC TIONS IN CHILDREN - DATA FROM BAVARIA AND LOWER SAXONY COVERING THE PERIOD 1980-1992 .2. VIRAL MENINGITIS AND ENCEPHALITIS

In the years 1980-1992 surveys were undertaken to ascertain the occurr ence of central nervous system infections in children in pediatric dep artments in the German provinces of Bavaria and Lower Saxony. There wa s a very noticeable drop in viral meningitides over the survey years e specially in mumps meningitis, i.e. from 199/205 in 1980 to 16/7 in 19 92. In both states about 80% of the viral meningitides could not be cl arified etiologically. Whereas in Bavaria a steady increase in herpes simplex encephalitides and varizella zoster encephalitides was apparen t (1/4 in 1980, 10/24 in 1992), the same development was not found in Lower Saxony. Although the number of measles encephalitides dropped in both states during the period of the survey, up to 6 cases of the ill ness occurred annually. Only in the case of herpes simplex encephaliti s the rate of recovery shows a substantial improvement over the observ ation period, while for other forms the rate of partial recovery has r emained approximately the same.