Australian Health Alert over devastating mosquito virus

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

*Plagues, Pestilences and Diseases

Australian Health Alert over devastating mosquito virus*

May 18, 2007 01:32pm
Article from: AAP

WARNINGS about potentially fatal mosquito-borne diseases have been
re-issued for the Northern Territory's Top End, after high numbers of
the insects were detected across flooded coastal plains.

The Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services's
(DHCS) has issued an alert for Murray Valley Encephalitis (MVE) virus,
along with the Kunjin virus.

The warning includes the Darwin and Katherine regions and follows a
similar warning in March this year. It will last for the next three months.

Normal symptoms of MVE include severe headache, high fever, drowsiness,
tremor and seizures - especially in young children - and in some cases
the disease progresses to delirium and coma.

Health authority data shows that, although the risks of getting the
disease are slight, once contracted it has a 25 per cent mortality rate.

Kunjin virus causes a milder disease, with fever and severe headache.

The DHCS said in a statement today that the risk was expected to be
higher this year compared with the last two years because of late and
heavy rain across the northern coastal swamps.

March to June is the peak period for both viruses.

"There has been a seasonal increase in numbers of this mosquito species
in the Darwin region and relatively high numbers are presently in the
large flooded coastal plains across the north,'' the statement said.

Recent testing of sentinel chickens in Katherine, Katherine and Jabiru
indicate the potential for widespread mosquito-borne Kunjin and MVE
virus activity across the part of the Northern Territory known as the
Top End.

"Both viruses are transmitted by the bite of the common banded
mosquito,'' the statement said.

"This mosquito breeds in flooded grassy and swamp areas and high numbers
will persist over the early dry season near the longer lasting swamp
areas.''

The mosquito tends to bite after sundown and there is little risk of
exposure to infected mosquitoes during the day.

"Only about one person in 1,000 who get bitten by infected mosquitoes
will contract these diseases,'' the statement said.

There are only one to two human cases of these diseases in the NT each
year and people most at risk are those with no prior exposure to these
viruses, including babies, young children, tourists or people from
southern Australia.

The DHCS says people experiencing the early symptoms of both diseases
should seek urgent medical attention.

In particular, the warning applies to people visiting or living in rural
areas within five kilometres of river and creek systems throughout the
risk area.

Precautions include avoiding outdoor exposure from dusk and at night in
risk areas, installing insect screens and using mosquito nets and tents.
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