Herpes simplex viruses (HSV), and especially HSV-1, are the most common cause of acute, sporadic viral encephalitis. HSV-2 is an uncommon cause of encephalitis. We report a rare case of HSV-2 encephalitis that was free of genital lesions. In terms of the patient's case history, she had a Cesarean section four months before, herpes labialis 30 days before, varicella zoster 20 days before. We discuss the possibility that postpartum stress may be one of the factors in this case.