Dengue in Australia
In Australia, dengue only occurs in north Queensland. Dengue is not endemic (ie. naturally occurring in north Queensland). The dengue mosquito is common in north Queensland and outbreaks can occur when the virus is transmitted to the local mosquito population in north Queensland by infected international travellers or residents returning home from overseas.
As Dr Paul Reiter (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA) explained at the 1999 Dengue Symposium in Cairns: "People are vectors of the dengue virus, travelling the world, infecting mosquitoes."
Dengue has historically been reported in the Northern Territory, New South Wales and north Queensland but it is currently limited by the distribution of its vector, the dengue mosquito to north Queensland.
In 2004 the dengue mosquito was detected in Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. The Commonwealth subsequently funded the Northern Territory government to conduct a surveillance and eradication program.
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