This is a neurological illness of sudden onset in children that affects the nervous system, specifically the spinal cord. It can result from a variety of causes including viral infections, toxins, and genetic disorders. Signs and symptoms: a sudden weakness in one or more arms or legs, along with loss of muscle tone and decreased or absent reflexes. Numbness or other physical symptoms are rare, although some patients may have pain in their arms or legs. In some cases, dysfunction of the nerves controlling the head and neck, resulting in such features as facial weakness, difficulty swallowing, or drooping of the eyes, may accompany the limb weakness.

Caused by protozoa of the genus Trypanosoma and is transmitted by the tsetse fly. First symptoms appear within a week after bite from tsetse fly. Weeks or years later recurrent fevers develop. CNS involvement marked by gradual loss of interest in everything. Marked by decreased activity and indifference to food. Eyelids droop and individual falls asleep during everyday tasks. Speech becomes slurred followed by coma and death.

This life-threatening infection is cause by an exotoxin produced by bacterium from the Genus Clostridium. This illness is most commonly contracted from eating contaminated food, but the bacteria can also be contacted when a wound becomes infected with the bacterial spores. Signs and symptoms can start within six hours or may take as long as eight days to appear. Symptoms include blurred vision, difficulty swallowing, speaking, and droopy eyelids. As the toxin spreads muscle weakness, paralysis in the arms, and difficulty breathing can occur.

This is one of a family of diseases in humans and animals collectively called transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. This form occurs in humans over age 45 and is characterized by spongy degeneration of the brain with severe and fatal neurological signs and symptoms. Caused by proteinaceous infectious particles (Prions).

This is an infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by the fungus C. neoformans. It is a major opportunistic infection seen in immunocompromised patients. Symptoms: Difficulty thinking, dizziness, intermittent headache, light or no fever. Slow progression of disease results in other symptoms, vomiting, weight loss, paralysis, seizures, and coma.

This is a rare arthropod-borne Alphavirus viral infection that causes inflammation of the brain. It is spread by a bite from infected mosquitoes and it can affect people and horses as well as other animals. Signs and symptoms include flu-like symptoms such as severe headache, chills, fever, muscle ache, and nausea. Severe symptoms as a result of inflammation of the brain include coma, disorientation and seizures. Survivors may suffer permanent neurological damage.

This is a form of bacterial meningitis caused the bacteria H. influenzae type B. The bacteria invade the central nervous system through the nasal cavity, where the bacteria enter the blood and then cross the blood-brain barrier. Signs and symptoms: nausea or vomiting, fever, headache, sensitivity to light, seizure, anorexia, changes in mental status, or stiff neck.

Caused by Mycobacterium leprae and is why the disease is commonly called leprosy. The bacteria produce peripheral neurological damage, which causes sensory loss in the skin and muscle weakness. Takes about 8 weeks for symptoms to occur. Disease is mildly contagious. Symptoms: Skin lesions that have decreased sensation to touch, heat, or pain and are lighter than your normal skin color. Skin lesions that do not heal after several weeks to months. Numbness or absent sensation in the hands and arms, or feet and legs, muscle weakness.

It is a Flavivirus infection of the brain transmitted to humans by the bite of mosquitos from the genus Culex. It was first identified in 1995 and is found throughout Asia, Western Pacific, and Australia. Less than 1% of infected people show clinical illness. The incubation period is 5-15 days. Initial symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, mental status change, weakness, and seizures are common in children.

Caused by the bacteria L. monocytogenes and symptoms include: Fever and muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.

Caused by Neisseria meningitidis, as well as Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, which are a group of bacteria that can infect the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms: Fever, sudden severe headache. Symptoms may also include neck and back stiffness, mental changes, and rash.

Known as PAM (primary amoebic meningoencephalitis). It is an infection of the brain by the free-living protest N. fowleri and is also known as the "brain-eating amoeba". The amoeba invades the central nervous system though the nose and entering the olfactory mucosa and cribriform plate of the nasal tissues. Signs and symptoms: changes in taste and smell, headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and stiff neck. Secondary symptoms include confusion, hallucinations, lack of attention ataxia, and seizures.

Caused by three types of viruses in the genus Enterovirus and produces the following symptoms: Many people are asymptomatic, mild cases produce flu-like symptoms. More severe cases have pain and spasm of muscles, and muscle paralysis. Paralyzed muscles shrink and bones do not form normally. In severe cases respiratory muscles become paralyzed. Infection can occur through the fecal-oral route and oral-oral route by droplet transmission. Jonas Salk developed the first vaccine.

Caused by a virus in the genus Lyssavirus that is primarily transmitted by the bite of an infected animal. Symptoms: Fever, head and muscle ache, sore throat, fatigue, nausea, and tingling or twitching at site of viral entry. Virus eventually migrates to salivary glands, eyes, heart etc.

This is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus in the Family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, which is transmitted by the Mansonia pseudotitillans mosquito. This disease can be hard to diagnose because of its long incubation period, which ranges from 5 to 15 days. Early symptoms are flu-like and include fever, headache, dizziness, nausea, and malaise. Later symptoms include stiff neck, confusion, disorientation, dizziness, tremor, and unsteadiness. Coma can develop in severe cases.

A fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. Infectious prion proteins cause this disease. It is transmitted through the intestines or through cuts in the skin, but it is not transmitted to humans. Signs and symptoms: compulsive scraping of body against rocks, trees or fences due to itching sensation. Also excessive lip smacking, altered gait, convulsive collapse. Later signs and symptoms include weight loss, anorexia, lethargy and death.

It is also known as herpes zoster, which is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. It occurs because of a reactivation of varicella zoster virus within a person's body as a result of an earlier chickenpox infection. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide stripe either on the left or right of the body or face. Two to four days before the rash occurs, there may be tingling or local pain in the area. Otherwise, there are typically few symptoms. The rash usually heals within two to four weeks; some people develop ongoing nerve pain which can last for months or years.

Caused by an RNA virus in the Enterovirus family. It is an infection of the meninges covering the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include, vomiting, nausea, sensitivity to light, fever, headache, stiff neck, and altered mental status. Children under 5 yrs of age and adults over 40 years in age are more susceptible.

This is new viral disease with its first documented outbreak among people occurring 2007 and a major outbreak in South and Central America in 2015-2016. It is cause by a virus in the family Flaviviridae and is transmitted to humans by species of mosquitoes from the Aedes genus. The virus can also be sexually transmitted from men to women and from pregnant women to their developing fetus and can cause multiple problems, most notably microcephaly in the baby. Signs and symptoms: Most of the time there are no to mild signs and symptoms such as joint pain, fever, rash, and red eyes.