{"id":9469,"date":"2025-03-18T09:41:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T23:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/uncategorized\/japanese-encephalitis-virus"},"modified":"2025-03-18T11:28:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T01:28:46","slug":"japanese-encephalitis-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/news\/japanese-encephalitis-virus","title":{"rendered":"What you need to know about Japanese Encephalitis Virus after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred"},"content":{"rendered":"

What you need to know about Japanese Encephalitis Virus after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred<\/h1>\n
\"Protect

Protect yourself following heavy rainfall<\/p><\/div>\n

Recent frequent and heavy rainfall can lead to the rapid formation of stagnant water. But did you know that your water-logged pot plants could put you at risk of a virus?<\/h4>\n

Metro North Public Health Unit Entomologist Jonathan Darbro explains how key it is to prevent mosquito breeding grounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose seemingly harmless puddles left after a downpour are, in fact, potential nurseries for a future swarm of mosquitoes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It’s important to remember that mosquitoes are not just pests; they are also vectors for several serious human illnesses, including Japanese Encephalitis Virus.<\/p>\n

What is the Japanese Encephalitis Virus?<\/h3>\n

Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) is a flavivirus related to dengue, carried by some types of mosquitoes.<\/p>\n

Although Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) is a rare outcome of JEV infection, it’s a serious concern as it can make you very unwell.<\/p>\n

JEV spreads through mosquito bites and symptoms appear 5-15 days post-bite. It doesn’t spread person-to-person.<\/p>\n

Signs and symptoms can include:<\/h3>\n

Symptoms of JEV can vary and some people may not have symptoms at all, but mild symptomatic infections may present with:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Fever and headache.<\/li>\n
  • Abdominal pain and vomiting (especially in children).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Severe JEV disease can lead to acute encephalitis (brain inflammation), which can include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Sudden onset of high fever and chills.<\/li>\n
    • Severe headache.<\/li>\n
    • Neck stiffness.<\/li>\n
    • Disorientation.<\/li>\n
    • Convulsions.<\/li>\n
    • Paralysis.<\/li>\n
    • Coma.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      How can I keep myself safe?<\/h3>\n

      Protecting yourself against mosquito bites is the best way to prevent catching a virus like JEV. Jon recommends the following tips:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Use Insect Repellent:<\/strong>\n
          \n
        • Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus to exposed skin.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • Eliminate Mosquito Breeding Sites:<\/strong>\n
              \n
            • Regularly empty containers around your home that hold standing water (e.g., buckets, pots, tires).<\/li>\n
            • Keep lawns and gardens well-maintained.<\/li>\n
            • Ensure swimming pools are properly drained or filled when not in use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                \n
              • Avoid Mosquito Bites:<\/strong>\n
                  \n
                • Mosquitoes that transmit JEV are most active around dawn and dusk. Avoid being outside at these times if possible.<\/li>\n
                • Wear long sleeves and long trousers.<\/li>\n
                • Make sure your doors and windows have screens.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) is a flavivirus related to dengue, carried by some types of mosquitoes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":9471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9469"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9469\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9474,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9469\/revisions\/9474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}