Mosquitos are making a more stinging impact across the state this summer than first realised, new Victorian health department findings show.
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Farmers and travellers in northern Victoria are urged to take extra pre-cautions after a study of more than 800 people revealed one in 30 surveyed exhibited evidence of having a previous Japanese encephalitis infection.
This is despite only one case of Japanese encephalitis officially reported this season from the health department.
"The vast majority of people who contract Ross River, Murray Valley encephalitis and Japanese encephalitis don't get sick at all - but if you do get sick, you can get seriously ill and have neurological damage," Grampians Public Health Unit chief strategy and regions office Rob Grenfell said.
Pig farmers have also previously called on the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) to approve vaccines for animals as soon as possible.
The APVMA are currently assessing two applications for approval for farmers to use a Japanese encephalitis vaccine for animals and determining if they meet the statutory safety, efficacy and trade criteria.
Human vaccines are available for Japanese encephalitis but, due to low supplies, the state government has prioritised jabs for people in high exposure areas, including piggeries.
Eligibility for the vaccine has also been extended across the state, including into Northern Grampians, Horsham, West Wimmera and Greater Bendigo.
Murray Valley encephalitis virus was also detected in Horsham early in February, prompting Grampians Health to reiterate the importance of mosquito protection in the region.
A woman from the Buloke shire became Victoria's first human case of Murray Valley encephalitis and later died on February 17.
Before this, the last human case of Murray Valley encephalitis in Victoria was recorded in 1974 after major flooding.
No human cases have been reported but this virus transfer to humans via mosquito bites can cause fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches and, in the most serious cases, brain infection.
This follows warnings earlier this year for the rise of other mosquito-borne diseases such as Ross River fever and Barmah Forest fever, particularly in holiday spots on the Bellarine Peninsula and along the Murray River.
All diseases can cause fever-like symptoms and lingering debilitating symptoms.
Victoria's deputy chief health officer Deborah Friedman urged people to take "sensible steps" to avoid mosquito bites: wear long, loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing, use insect repellents, clear stagnant water around homes or properties, and avoid the outdoors when mosquitoes are observed, especially at dusk and dawn.