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As cases of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) climb across the nation one expert warns that it could be here to stay. As of march 10 there were 15 confirmed human cases of JEV in Australia, four in NSW, and two which occurred in the Riverina. And on Friday the government announced it will buy 130,000 additional vaccine doses to fight the spread of the virus. Murrumbidgee Local Health District's Senior Environmental Health Officer Tony Burns said that mosquito numbers have exploded in the area. "The number of mosquitos in our traps is around ten times what we would normally see this time of year, which is to be expected given the wet weather we have had recently so it is really important that we all take extra care not to get bitten," he said. IN OTHER NEWS: Virology expert at the University of Queensland professor Roy Hall said that the appearance of the virus caught experts by surprise. They expected homegrown viruses, such as Ross River fever which has infected 41 people across the MLHD since February, this year, but JEV has not been this far south before. "When the weather started months ago we could see a pattern developing, we predicted there would be some mosquito virus activity ... but Japanese Encephalitis is exotic, so for it to come down was unexpected," he said. But the emergence of the virus at the same time that the country is experiencing massive flooding is no coincidence. JE primarily uses water birds as a host, so the floods and La Nina drenching the east coast this year provided ideal conditions for an outbreak. "These infected water birds will fly down, they'll rest in water holes where there are heaps of mosquitoes breeding, they'll infect those mosquitoes, the next water bird that comes along gets infected, it flies further south," he said. "So, it's this really effective transmission between mosquitoes and water birds that allows it to move." Professor Hall said that as we move into winter and mosquito numbers dwindle, so too will the likelihood of catching JEV. But he thinks the government needs to increase the number of vaccines we have in the country because unfortunately there is a good chance that the virus is here to stay. "That virus has never been this far south and so widespread in the country," he said. "We've seen tiny incursions into the tip of Cape York in the 90s, but it was only there for a brief time, then it disappeared. "When winter comes, it may retreat back to warmer areas in the northern part of the country where it can cycle between the water birds, mosquitoes and all the wild pigs up there, that's the key factor." "It's reasonable to assume [that it's here to stay]." Professor Hall said that farmers who deal with water in large quantities, such as rice growers, need to have close consultation with medical entomologists to better understand the likelihood of mosquito breeding and how to prevent it. And for the wider community, if you see stagnant water, complain. "Everyone needs to be vigilant," he said. "If there's a lot of mosquitos in your area, more than usual, you should contact the local authorities ... complaining to local government is a good way to go." The facts JE is a zoonotic disease caused by the JE virus and humans and horses are so-called 'dead-end' hosts, according to Dr David Williams, Japanese encephalitis expert at CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness. That means the virus is not amplified to high enough levels in the blood following infection to allow biting mosquitoes to become infected and spread the virus further. JE cannot be transmitted directly from an infected person to an uninfected person. Dr Williams said that most infections are asymptomatic or cause a mild flu-like illness, but in approximately one per cent of infected people the more severe JE disease can develop. Of these severe JE cases, approximately 20-30 per cent of are fatal, 30-50 per cent develop long term side effects such as movement and speech disorders. The remaining cases fully recover. JE is thought to cause over 100,000 cases each year in Asia, where the virus is endemic. The MLHD recommends mosquito repellent and loose, light coloured clothing as the best ways to protect yourself. Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk so if you need to go outside at those times of the day, take extra precautions to protect yourself. Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
As cases of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) climb across the nation one expert warns that it could be here to stay.
As of march 10 there were 15 confirmed human cases of JEV in Australia, four in NSW, and two which occurred in the Riverina. And on Friday the government announced it will buy 130,000 additional vaccine doses to fight the spread of the virus.
Murrumbidgee Local Health District's Senior Environmental Health Officer Tony Burns said that mosquito numbers have exploded in the area.
"The number of mosquitos in our traps is around ten times what we would normally see this time of year, which is to be expected given the wet weather we have had recently so it is really important that we all take extra care not to get bitten," he said.
Virology expert at the University of Queensland professor Roy Hall said that the appearance of the virus caught experts by surprise.
They expected homegrown viruses, such as Ross River fever which has infected 41 people across the MLHD since February, this year, but JEV has not been this far south before.
"When the weather started months ago we could see a pattern developing, we predicted there would be some mosquito virus activity ... but Japanese Encephalitis is exotic, so for it to come down was unexpected," he said.
But the emergence of the virus at the same time that the country is experiencing massive flooding is no coincidence.
JE primarily uses water birds as a host, so the floods and La Nina drenching the east coast this year provided ideal conditions for an outbreak.
"These infected water birds will fly down, they'll rest in water holes where there are heaps of mosquitoes breeding, they'll infect those mosquitoes, the next water bird that comes along gets infected, it flies further south," he said.
"So, it's this really effective transmission between mosquitoes and water birds that allows it to move."
Professor Hall said that as we move into winter and mosquito numbers dwindle, so too will the likelihood of catching JEV.
But he thinks the government needs to increase the number of vaccines we have in the country because unfortunately there is a good chance that the virus is here to stay.
"That virus has never been this far south and so widespread in the country," he said. "We've seen tiny incursions into the tip of Cape York in the 90s, but it was only there for a brief time, then it disappeared.
"When winter comes, it may retreat back to warmer areas in the northern part of the country where it can cycle between the water birds, mosquitoes and all the wild pigs up there, that's the key factor."
"It's reasonable to assume [that it's here to stay]."
Professor Hall said that farmers who deal with water in large quantities, such as rice growers, need to have close consultation with medical entomologists to better understand the likelihood of mosquito breeding and how to prevent it.
And for the wider community, if you see stagnant water, complain.
"Everyone needs to be vigilant," he said. "If there's a lot of mosquitos in your area, more than usual, you should contact the local authorities ... complaining to local government is a good way to go."
JE is a zoonotic disease caused by the JE virus and humans and horses are so-called 'dead-end' hosts, according to Dr David Williams, Japanese encephalitis expert at CSIRO's Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.
That means the virus is not amplified to high enough levels in the blood following infection to allow biting mosquitoes to become infected and spread the virus further.
JE cannot be transmitted directly from an infected person to an uninfected person.
Dr Williams said that most infections are asymptomatic or cause a mild flu-like illness, but in approximately one per cent of infected people the more severe JE disease can develop.
Of these severe JE cases, approximately 20-30 per cent of are fatal, 30-50 per cent develop long term side effects such as movement and speech disorders. The remaining cases fully recover.
JE is thought to cause over 100,000 cases each year in Asia, where the virus is endemic.
The MLHD recommends mosquito repellent and loose, light coloured clothing as the best ways to protect yourself.
Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk so if you need to go outside at those times of the day, take extra precautions to protect yourself.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
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