Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Centre of Disease Control Acting Director Pasqualina Coffey says free vaccinations have been expanded to those at high risk of contracting Japanese encephalitis

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Centre of Disease Control Acting Director Pasqualina Coffey says free vaccinations have been expanded to those at high risk of contracting Japanese encephalitis · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now is doctor Pasqualina Coffee,
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  Speaker 1: who is indeed the Center for Disease Controls Acting Director.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Good morning, Thanks so much for
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  Speaker 1: your time this morning, doctor Coffee. Now tell us we
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  Speaker 1: know that an additional forty thousand territoriums are now going
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  Speaker 1: to be eligible to receive the free Japanese in cafalitis
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  Speaker 1: virus vaccine. It's all in an effort to ensure that
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  Speaker 1: people living in high risk areas are protected. I guess firstly,
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  Speaker 1: if you can tell us for those out there who
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  Speaker 1: don't know what JEV Japanese in kefalitis virus is, just
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  Speaker 1: explain it to us.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, it's a Japanese in cavaliitis. It's a rare but
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  Speaker 2: serious infection caused by the Japanese in caffalitis virus or JV.
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  Speaker 2: And this virus can be transmitted by a mosquito when
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  Speaker 2: they buy it, sayin infected animal, and then buy a
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  Speaker 2: human with that virus in it. So then the vast
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  Speaker 2: majority of people infected with JE virus will not develop
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  Speaker 2: any symptoms. And we're talking about ninety nine times out
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  Speaker 2: of one hundred. But on the rare occasions, it can
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  Speaker 2: course of your disease because it affects our brain, it
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  Speaker 2: causes inflammation there and so this can lead to some
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  Speaker 2: pretty serious consequences and maybe even death.
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  Speaker 1: So obviously we're in a situation now where more than
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  Speaker 1: forty thousand people are an additional forty thousand Territorians now
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  Speaker 1: going to be eligible to receive that free vaccine who
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  Speaker 1: would need to go out and make sure that they
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  Speaker 1: get that vaccine.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, So at this stage, the vaccination for Japanese and
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  Speaker 2: capitalitis is recommended essentially for two reasons. Either you're inner
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  Speaker 2: location where we've seen the virus in mosquitos or in
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  Speaker 2: animals wild animals in that region. Or you've got an
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  Speaker 2: occupation or risk so you're either working there or you've
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  Speaker 2: got a job that naturally puts you in touch with
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  Speaker 2: a lot of mosquitoes or things like bell pigs. So
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  Speaker 2: at this stage we've expanded it out to important locations
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  Speaker 2: around Darwin. So these include the suburbs of Leepoint your
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  Speaker 2: Head or Laghi Karama Malac, as well as a Darn
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  Speaker 2: rural area and also the Tenant Creek township.
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  Speaker 1: And how many cases have we had in the northern territory.
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  Speaker 2: Thankfully, we've only had three cases and we haven't had
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  Speaker 2: a case actually since June twenty twenty two.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, And so why is it, I guess so
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  Speaker 1: important that those living in those areas do actually make
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  Speaker 1: sure that they go and get the vaccine.
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  Speaker 2: It's because we have been finding it in mosquitoes that
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  Speaker 2: we're trapping. So we've got teams that are going out
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  Speaker 2: and doing lots of different visits to different sites just
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  Speaker 2: to assess areas where the virus might be circulating. And
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  Speaker 2: also our colleagues who managed the deferral animals as well
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  Speaker 2: have been testing there. So that's why we found quite
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  Speaker 2: a bit around fell pigs across the top end.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, we've had that discussion before. I know that we
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  Speaker 1: have caught up with the Center for Disease Control before
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  Speaker 1: about the prevalence in pigs. How are those numbers looking
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  Speaker 1: at this point?
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  Speaker 2: Unfortunately, it looks like, you know, there's a fair bit
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  Speaker 2: out there. So we don't think the virus is going
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  Speaker 2: to go away anytime soon, and that's why it's really
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  Speaker 2: important for the public to get out, get in front
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  Speaker 2: and get yourself protected with the vaccine.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I guess the main thing is as well,
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  Speaker 1: is to avoid those mosquito bites, isn't it?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely? And that's up to everyone. You know, we can
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  Speaker 2: all do us a bit to protect ourselves because it's
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  Speaker 2: not only Japanese and caphalitis. Unfortunately with our tropical climbate
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  Speaker 2: up here, you know there's other mosquito born diseases as well.
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  Speaker 2: That it makes a lot of sense to do your
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  Speaker 2: best to protect yourself the mosquito bites.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and just I mean most of us are aware
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  Speaker 1: of how to protect ourselves. But Pascolna, what would you
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  Speaker 1: say the best things to make sure that we're doing.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, look, you know, just be careful. We're protective clothing,
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  Speaker 2: really pay attention to try to cover up your feet,
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  Speaker 2: legs and arms. You know, think about when mosquitos are
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  Speaker 2: most active, and that's going to be dusk and dawn,
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  Speaker 2: and particularly for those with kids and you know, young infants,
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  Speaker 2: you know, they can't really protect themselves, so always pay
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  Speaker 2: attention and remember to get them covered up. And just
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  Speaker 2: making sure we're using good protective repellents. So either beat
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  Speaker 2: the currieden or PMD so it's a lemon eucalypted ones
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  Speaker 2: on any exposed skin. And then if you're going camping
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  Speaker 2: and things like that, make sure that you're you know,
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  Speaker 2: you've got a mosquito proof tent. All your caravans and
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  Speaker 2: stuff have good fly screens on them well.
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  Speaker 1: The acting director of the Center for Disease Control, doctor
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  Speaker 1: Pascualna Coffee, We really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you,
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  Speaker 1: thank you, thanks for having a chat with us.