Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of ganciclovir in treatment of children with viral encephalitis.Methods 80 children with viral encephalitis were randomly divided into observation group and control group.All patients received the comprehensive treatment including anti-spasm,dehydration,control of body temperature,decreased intracranial pressure and drugs of improving brain metabolism.40 children in the observation group received intravenous ganciclovir.40 patients in the control group received intravenous ribavirin.The clinical effect of the two groups was compared.Results The total effective rate of observation group was 92.5％,that of the control group was 70.0％,the difference was statistically significant (x2 =6.721,P ＜ 0.05).In the observation group,the main clinical symptoms including fever,headache,vomiting,convulsions and the disappearance time of unconsciousness were significantly shorter than the control group(t =5.270,9.730,5.749,5.903,5.421,all P ＜ 0.05).The incidence rate of adverse reactions in the observation group was 7.5％,which was lower than 17.5％ in the control group,but the difference was not statistically significant (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Ganciclovir in the treatment of children with viral encephalitis can improve clinical symptoms in a short time,and adverse reactions are mild,which can be used as the ideal choice for treatment of children with viral encephalitis.