As holidaymakers head north for fresh air these school holidays, Victorians are being reminded that mosquitos are still active at this time of the year.
Mosquitoes carry a range of dangerous diseases including Japanese Encephalitis (JE) virus and Ross River Virus.
JE virus, which can cause a rare but potentially serious infection of the brain, was detected in Victoria for the first time earlier this year, with nine confirmed human cases to date.
Deputy chief health officer associate professor Deborah Friedman said most Victorian cases had spent time in Victoria’s north and north-west or southern NSW.
“Several Victorian cases had extensive mosquito exposure prior to illness onset, while the majority spent time in the state’s north particularly near the Murray River,” professor Friedman said.
“There have also been positive detections of the virus in mosquitoes trapped in four sites in Northwest Victoria near the Murray River.”
Increased mosquito numbers have been detected along the Murray River with ongoing mosquito trapping and testing being carried out to help identify high-risk areas.
With an increase of visitors to the region expected over the Easter break, professor Friedman urged people to take simple steps to beat the bite.
“Anyone is potentially at risk of being bitten by mosquitoes and while most bites will only cause minor swelling and irritation, an infected mosquito carries a higher risk,” she said.
Ways to prevent bites include wearing long, loose fitting clothes outdoors, using effective mosquito repellents containing picaridin or DEET on all exposed skin, limiting outdoor activity, using ‘knockdown’ fly sprays and plug-in repellent devices indoors, sleeping under mosquito nets treated with insecticides if you don’t have flywire screens and using mosquito coils.
For more information, visit betterhealth.vic.gov.au/campaigns/beat-bite
