A leading mosquito virus expert has declared Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is “here to stay” in Australia, which he believes was not prepared for the disease’s arrival.
The “shocking disease with no cure” has been detected in Queensland, NSW and South Australia and is now endemic.
Associate Professor Gregor Devine told NCA NewsWire that Australia was not prepared for the disease that’s “been here for months” in an interview on Wednesday.
“Australia clearly wasn’t ready – clearly what we‘ve been doing over the past few years wasn’t enough,” he said.
“Piggeries are lighting up all across the country; we have to assume that there’s no way it [the virus] all suddenly emerged at the same time.
“For whatever reason, it seems to have taken a few months to realise that it has spread down to the coast, although of course it has been in Australia since the middle of the 1990s.”
“Everyone‘s been totally focused on Covid and all the resources have gone to that – we’ve kind of taken less attention to surveillance, so there’s less forward thinking going on.”
The JEV cannot be transmitted from human to human, however it can be passed on via a bite from a mosquito infected by pigs.
The virus has a high fatality rate of around 30 per cxjmtzywent, in the very small number of people who develop symptoms, which can include tremors, seizures, fever, neck stiffness, sleepiness and coma.
Dozens of piggeries have been infected with the virus and at least two people have died.
There are currently 20 symptomatic cases of the exotic virus in hospitals across Australia, although the real number is much higher.
“I would suggest that probably 100 times that many [cases], so probably a couple of thousand human infections, at least,” Professor Devine said.
The transmission is particularly concerning in Queensland due to the massive feral pig population transferring to domestic pigs.
The state has the largest wild bore population, with a total of 24 million feral pigs scavenging the country.
Professor Devine said recent warm, wet weather has increased the mosquito population and put communities at greater risk of infection.
“If our climate is to become warmer and frequently challenged by flood events, we may find that JEV will circulate widely and continuously,” he said.
“Australia desperately needs a co-ordinated national surveillance network to monitor and manage emerging mosquito-borne viruses and other viral pathogens.”
National cabinet on Friday agreed to deliver a “nationally consistent” plan to address the disease.
The federal government announced a $69 million plan to combat JEV, including a $5m public awareness campaign and the acquisition of 130,000 additional vaccine doses.
The additional vaccines will be prioritised for people with direct exposure or proximity to pigs and mosquitoes.
Australians wishing to voluntarility vaccinate against the virus are expected to pay up to $400 dollars at their local GP clinic.
The reason for the arrival of the virus remains unknown.
