IDEAL mosquito breeding conditions throughout the North East in recent weeks has seen Wangaratta local government area (LGA) added as a priority location for the Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine.

Flooding and heavy rainfall have increased the risk of a range of mosquito–borne diseases in Victoria, including Japanese encephalitis (JE).

JE can cause illness in susceptible animal species including horses and pigs.

In pigs, the most common clinical signs are mummified and stillborn or weak piglets while horses usually show no signs of illness but can present with fever, jaundice, lethargy, neurological signs and anorexia.

With much of Northern Victoria continuing to be hit by heavy rain and persistent flooding, the State Government announced in early November the expansion of the free JE vaccine, which is in short supply globally, to regional Victorians who fall into specific priority groups.

According to deputy chief health officer Deborah Friedman, no confirmed cases of JE and no detections of the JE virus in mosquitoes have been found yet this season throughout Victoria.

Transmitted by infected mosquitoes, the virus can cause a rare and potentially serious infection of the brain in humans, with less than one per cent of people infected by encephalitis at risk of death or serious disability.

The JE vaccine is now available free for anyone aged two months or older who lives or works in a high–risk LGA and:

• Spends significant time outdoors (four or more hours per day), for unavoidable work, recreation, education or other essential activities, or;

• Are living in temporary or flood–damaged accommodation (such as camps, tents, dwellings exposed to the external environment) that place them at increased risk of mosquito bites, or;

• Are engaged in the prolonged recovery efforts (clean up) of stagnant waters following floods.

South Wangaratta Medical Centre managing director Kim Ching said the JE vaccine had been available locally since April, however, following the expansion of eligibility within the region, the vaccine would also become available at Docker Street General Medical Centre.

Those not eligible for the vaccine can minimise their risk of suffering a mosquito bite through simple initiatives such as limiting outdoor activity in mosquito–prone areas, wearing loose–fitting clothing outdoors and using mosquito repellent on all exposed skin.