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Katie Woolf spoke with NT Health Director of Medical Entomology Nina Kurucz · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I am joined on the line right now by the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: director of Entomology at NT Health, Nina Kurtz. Good morning
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: to you, Nina.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, good morning, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: We're just making sure we had the right person on
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  Speaker 1: the line there, I was anyway, Nina, Thank you very much. Now, Nina,
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  Speaker 1: I understand that territories and visitors to the top end
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  Speaker 1: are being urged well to protect themselves from mossie bites
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  Speaker 1: at this point in time due to continued Murray Valley
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: in cephalitis activity.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's correct, Katie. So there's a lot of tourists
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  Speaker 2: still on the road and there's another long weekend coming up.
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  Speaker 2: And while we are at the end of the high
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  Speaker 2: risk period for MVE, there has been a case this
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  Speaker 2: year reported in April, and unfortunately that person ended up
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  Speaker 2: in ICU, and through our flavivirus surveillance system, we also
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: know that the virus was still active in the Cafroin
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  Speaker 2: region in June. So we had a big wet season,
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  Speaker 2: so we thought we'd better worn everybody again so that
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: people can make sure they do not get bitten by mosquitoes.
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  Speaker 2: There haven't been that many cases in the ANTI since
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  Speaker 2: surveins began in seventy four, so we recorded about thirty
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  Speaker 2: eight cases. So it's a rare disease, but unfortunately it's
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  Speaker 2: an inflammation of the brain and people who get it
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  Speaker 2: usually have neurological issues which are ongoing, and the disease
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  Speaker 2: can be fatal as well, so it is important to
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  Speaker 2: cover up, use long shirts and pants and socks, and
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  Speaker 2: the insect repellance as we said, that contain either ded
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  Speaker 2: or bekeridin. There is an alternative with oil or lemon
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  Speaker 2: eucalyp now for people who do not like the deed
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  Speaker 2: or the carridin product. It's also very effective. And if
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  Speaker 2: people are out close to waterways, make sure your tender's
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  Speaker 2: mosquito proof and those mosquitoes are only coming out after
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  Speaker 2: sundown biting for the night in the early morning, not
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  Speaker 2: the ones that are flying out during the daytime, right,
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  Speaker 2: and there's probably not that many around, but close to
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  Speaker 2: waterways and rural areas they will still be out there.
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  Speaker 1: So it does sound as though, you know, while the
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  Speaker 1: prevalence isn't high, if you do unfortunately end up in
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  Speaker 1: a situation where you have MVE, it can be very serious.
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  Speaker 2: It can be very serious and a lot of kids
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  Speaker 2: especially in Central Australia, contracted the disease and these kids
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  Speaker 2: were under the age of ten. And about a quarter
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  Speaker 2: of people who had the disease have these ongoing neurological
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  Speaker 2: issues to the point where they can't look after themselves.
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  Speaker 2: And we also had a few deaths, so it is
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  Speaker 2: very serious, although rare.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, oh goodness mate, So Nina, the best thing to
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  Speaker 1: do is to make sure we're covered up, we're that
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  Speaker 1: light clothing and either have the date on or the
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  Speaker 1: insect repellent sorry containing that date, and really just do
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  Speaker 1: our best to make sure that we don't get beaten.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, And you could also use good old fashioned
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  Speaker 2: mosquito coils or there's new products like the mosquito lentns
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  Speaker 2: which you can buy in normal supermarkets or hardware stores,
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  Speaker 2: and that they are also an addition, very effective.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Nina, is there anywhere else where people can go
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  Speaker 1: if they are sort of after a little bit more information,
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  Speaker 1: if they've heard part of the discussion and think, oh,
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  Speaker 1: I do want to find out a bit more, can
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  Speaker 1: they head to the anti health website and sort of
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  Speaker 1: follow some links on there.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, And also for the upcoming wet season again
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  Speaker 2: where our Salt marsh mosquitos are coming up, and now
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  Speaker 2: that the biding midgies are on the rise again, probably
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  Speaker 2: from August again, there will also be new calendar showing
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  Speaker 2: when the risk periods are when the mosquito and biding
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  Speaker 2: midge numbers are very high.
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  Speaker 1: All right, So there is definitely some more info in
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  Speaker 1: there and some information that people will be pretty keen
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  Speaker 1: to find out about if they are out and about
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  Speaker 1: and spending time outdoors, camping and that kind of thing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, please visit our website and the information is
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  Speaker 2: all there well.
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  Speaker 1: Int Health the Public Health Unit Director of Medical Entomology,
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  Speaker 1: Nina Kurtz. We always appreciate your time. Thanks so much
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  Speaker 1: for coming on this morning. Thanks Katie, thank you