What can an early Japanese encephalitis case tell us about the virus in Australia?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-08-18 07:00

Australia; VIC; NT

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Last summer's Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) outbreak likely began when the virus came from Indonesia a year earlier, according to Australian researchers studying the case of a Tiwi Islands man who died from the virus in early 2021. Analysing the virus found in the man, the researchers say it closely matches samples taken from JEV-infected animals in the 2021-2022 summer, as well as a strain of the virus found in Indonesia. The researchers say the virus likely travelled to Australia via mosquitoes or a migratory bird, spread through water birds and was amplified by spread through commercial, domestic and feral pigs. The researchers say more sampling of these animals is needed to know whether we should expect another outbreak next summer.