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Medical Definition of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis
1. A form of mosquito-borne equine encephalomyelitis seen in the eastern U.S. And caused by the eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus, a species of Alphavirus, which belongs to the family Togaviridae; initial fever and viraemia are followed by signs of central nervous system involvement (excitement, then somnolence, paralysis, and death); the incidence of clinical infection in man is low but case fatality may be high. (05 Mar 2000)