Japanese encephalitis warning issued in Australian state

Sydney, Jan 15 Health authorities in the Australian state of Victoria have advised people to be cautious of mosquitoes after detecting cases of Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV).

The Department of Health in Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, on Wednesday said that its early warning programme identified JEV in two mosquito traps in the state's north, marking the first detections of the potentially deadly disease in the current summer.

In response to the detections, the department warned tourists and locals in northern Victoria to be vigilant against mosquito bites.

JEV is a type of flavivirus related to dengue and yellow fever. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in 250 human infections result in severe clinical illness.

Among those with disease symptoms, the JEV fatality rate can be as high as 30 per cent.

"Japanese encephalitis virus can cause a rare but potentially serious infection of the brain and is spread to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes," Tarun Weeramanthri, Victoria's Chief Health Officer, said on Wednesday.

He advised people in northern Victoria to use insect repellent and limit their time outdoors when mosquitoes are around.

The state government of Victoria provides free JEV vaccines for residents of 24 high-risk regions in the state's north, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Department of Health late in December issued a high-risk warning after identifying a human case of JEV in the state's north.

"The risk of mosquito-borne diseases remains high in the coming weeks. Taking measures to avoid mosquito bites is critical to protect against infections," the alert issued by Victoria's Acting Chief Health Officer Christian McGrath said.

In this case, a man from a town 200 km north of Melbourne remains in a critical condition in hospital.