Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Chief Health Officer Dr Jacqui Murdoch says there could be further outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis when the wet season begins as mosquito activity will increase

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NT Chief Health Officer Dr Jacqui Murdoch says there could be further outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis when the wet season begins as mosquito activity will increase · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Qi m R. Berghoffer. Scientists are extremely concerned about the
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  Speaker 1: potential for further outbreaks of Japanese and Cephalaitis virus across
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  Speaker 1: the country, partly due to two a third consecutive La Nina.
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  Speaker 1: Now the Northern Territories had three cases of the virus
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  Speaker 1: in humans, with je spread by mosquitoes. Now joining me
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  Speaker 1: on the line is the Chief Health Officer, doctor Jackie Murdoch.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Jackie.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning. Now
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  Speaker 1: do you share the concerns of other scientists about these
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  Speaker 1: further outbreaks.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, we are concerned about what may happen with
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  Speaker 2: Japanese and kevaliitis cases once the rains start up again.
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  Speaker 2: What we've seen in the Northern Territory is that we've
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  Speaker 2: had a couple of cases in twenty twenty one and
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  Speaker 2: then one case in twenty twenty two. So we're concerned
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  Speaker 2: that this is going to continue.
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  Speaker 1: Now does the does it sort of you know, the
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  Speaker 1: fact that we are expecting all that we've got that
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  Speaker 1: third consecutive landing, what kind of impact does that have
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  Speaker 1: and the predicted above average cyclone season, what kind of
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  Speaker 1: you know what kind of risk I guess does that
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  Speaker 1: create for us when it comes to JE.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's really hard to say because it's a new
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  Speaker 2: disease in Australia. But you know, we know that there
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  Speaker 2: are more mosquitos when there's more water around, and our
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  Speaker 2: mosquito activity really picks up once the monsoonal rains start,
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  Speaker 2: and this particular mosquito that can spread Japanese in caphalitis
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  Speaker 2: will pick up when there'll be more of them around
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  Speaker 2: once that rain starts, probably December and then into the
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  Speaker 2: wet season.
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  Speaker 1: All right. So at this point in time, we've not,
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  Speaker 1: by the sounds of it, not had any further cases
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  Speaker 1: detected in the Northern Territory in people at this stage.
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  Speaker 2: No, And I guess that's to be expected because that
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  Speaker 2: those mosquito you know, the mosquito numbers do decrease around
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  Speaker 2: in the dry season, but we get concerned once they
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  Speaker 2: once they pick up. So we have had those two
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  Speaker 2: cases in twenty twenty one and then one case in
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  Speaker 2: twenty twenty two. But we have been doing surveillance around
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  Speaker 2: feral pigs as well, and we've found fifty five feral
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  Speaker 2: pigs so far infected with Japanese and cavalitis around you know,
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  Speaker 2: quite a large area of the top end, so we're
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  Speaker 2: concerned that it is more widespread than previously thought.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, So fifty five cases in feral pigs are
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  Speaker 1: some of those cases quite recent.
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  Speaker 2: The most of the surveillance was done sort of earlier
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  Speaker 2: in the year, so they haven't they haven't been testing
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  Speaker 2: just because of the ability to go out regular as
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  Speaker 2: much recently. But yeah, some of them that they've all
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  Speaker 2: been sort of tested this year now, Doctor Monock.
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  Speaker 1: How is Japanese in cavalotis spread all passed on?
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  Speaker 2: So it's it's spread through mosquito bites. So mosquitoes pick
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  Speaker 2: it up from pigs, including feral pigs, and also from
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  Speaker 2: water birds, so you know, that's why the risk is
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  Speaker 2: greater around sort of water sources, and then they spread
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  Speaker 2: it to humans through mosquitoes. It's not spread from person
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  Speaker 2: to person via mosquitoes, but from pigs or from water
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  Speaker 2: birds to mosquitoes and then onto people. So it's it's
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  Speaker 2: really important to try to prevent getting infect getting bitten
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  Speaker 2: by mosquitoes, and not just for Japanese and cavalitis. Obviously,
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  Speaker 2: there's other diseases that can spread by mosquitoes, So using
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  Speaker 2: insect repellents and covering up with long sleeved shirts and pants,
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  Speaker 2: staying inside at night time or at dust get those
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  Speaker 2: really you know, bity times, I guess.
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  Speaker 1: And how serious is the virus because a lot of
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  Speaker 1: people listening this morning are going to be thinking, Oh,
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  Speaker 1: it sounds a bit unusual. I don't know exactly what
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  Speaker 1: it is. Is there any real risk to me?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? So, look, it is. It's rare, but it and
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  Speaker 2: it is mostly asymptomatic, so most people who get it
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  Speaker 2: won't get symptoms, but about one percent of people who
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  Speaker 2: get symptoms can sorry, one percent of people who get
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  Speaker 2: infected get symptoms, and they can get quite sick. So
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  Speaker 2: it can result in quite severe brain damage and occasionally
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  Speaker 2: even death.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Wow, so it is certainly something that we need
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  Speaker 1: to be keeping a close eye on and treating seriously.
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  Speaker 1: Is there anything else that we should know about by
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  Speaker 1: way of an update, or you know, anything else that
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  Speaker 1: we should sort of be aware of.
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  Speaker 2: So we have got some vaccine for Japanese and caphalitis,
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  Speaker 2: and we're rolling that out to really high risk areas,
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  Speaker 2: so including the places where the people have been infected,
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  Speaker 2: so that the communities where the people the cases have
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  Speaker 2: been infected already, and then other high risk remote communities,
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  Speaker 2: and also to people who are working with directly with
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  Speaker 2: mosquitoes and feral peaks. So that's sort of the strategy
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  Speaker 2: that we've got at the moment, and we'll be working
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  Speaker 2: on vaccinating those people. So anyone who is eligible will
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  Speaker 2: be contacted.
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  Speaker 1: Well, doctor Jackie Murdoch, the Chief Health Officer, We really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much for having
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  Speaker 1: a chat with us.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks so much, Katie, Thank you