A case of Japanese encephalitis in a 20 year-old Spanish sportsman, February 2013.

We report a severe case of imported Japanese encephalitis (JE) in a healthy young Spanish traveller who developed symptoms after spending three weeks in a touristic area of Thailand. The patient was diagnosed in Thailand and subsequently transferred to Barcelona, Spain, where the Thai laboratory results were confirmed based on IgM serology. Although JE is a rare disease in travellers, this case illustrates the need for seeking travel medical advice before visiting tropical countries.