Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has warned a potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus has become a “real threat” across Australia’s eastern seaboard, as it can be revealed seven more piggeries have been infected in three days.
The number of pig farms with confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis has increased from 14 on Friday to 21 as of Monday morning.
They include 13 in NSW, one in Queensland, six in Victoria and one in South Australia.
Speaking on ABC’s Radio National on Monday morning, Mr Littleproud said vaccines were being distributed to high-risk areas to try to mitigate the “real threat”.
“The fact that it has effectively spread right across the eastern seaboard and into South Australia says that this is a real threat that we need to take seriously,” Mr Littleproud said.
“We already have a small quantity of vaccines for this here in Australia and they’ve been distributed.
“There’s been another tranche that has come in, there’ll be another one that will be brought in as well.”
The unfolding outbreak of the virus in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and SA has been declared a communicable disease incident of national significance.
It can cause severe neurological illness with headaches, convulsions and reduced consciousness in some cases.
It spreads by mosquitoes carrying it from either pigs or water birds, but it doesn’t transmit from animal to animal, or animal to human, or human to human.
People can’t catch it from eating pork.
NSW Health on Friday confirmed a person was in intensive care with a highly probable case of the virus.
Locally acquired cases had never previously been identified in NSW in animals or humans.
Mr Littleproud said people should take precautions to avoid being bitten in areas with high mosquito activity in eastern Australia.
“We need to be vigilant and need to understand particularly those in high risk areas in the region in and around piggeries,” he said.
“’The best thing you can do to arm yourself without a vaccine is really to use as much repellent as you possibly can.
“They can also have clothing that covers up most of most of their arms and legs and basically remain vigilant.
He noted that while the virus wasn’t serious in many cases, it did have the poxjmtzywtential to become deadly.
“A large, very large number of people who do contract it, it doesn’t become serious,” he said.
Mr Littleproud said people also needed to be on the lookout for symptoms.
“It’ll be when they start to become sick and there’s some symptoms there,” he said.
“They are very much like flu, stiff neck, you start to get fever, you vomit and basically headaches.
“So it’s important to present yourself to health officials as early as you possibly can.
“And that way assessments can be made and tests can be done and that’s as important for the rest of the community, as it is about the individual themselves and getting healthcare.”
