Mosquito-borne diseases are transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. Not every mosquito carries a disease or virus. In Queensland the diseases mosquitoes can carry include
Some mosquito-borne diseases are very rare and pose very little risk to travellers in Queensland. These extremely rare diseases are Murray Valley encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis and malaria. There is no vaccine for Queensland's mosquito-borne diseases, with the exception of Japanese encephalitis.
Simply, to protect yourself from mosquito-borne diseases you should avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
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| The dengue mosquito lives in north Queensland |
Infection with mosquito-borne diseases may cause illness ranging from mild to very serious. Illness may include flu-like symptoms such as pain in muscles and joints, rashes, headaches and fever or chilly sensations. If you are unwell see a GP immediately. The only way to detect whether your illness is caused by a mosquito-borne virus is through specific blood tests.
Generally, people who haven’t lived in the tropics may react to insect bites with itchiness, slight swelling and redness. If you are concerned about reactions to bites, visit a chemist or pharmacy shop for advice. Refer to wound infections for more information.
Ross River virus occurs throughout Australia including Tropical North Queensland. It is spread by a variety of freshwater and salt marsh mosquito species. Ross River fever cases are most commonly reported from adults. People who have been infected with the virus develop lifelong immunity. See the Queensland Health Ross River Virus Fact Sheet for more information.
About once a year Tropical North Queensland has a localised dengue fever outbreak. This happens when someone bring the virus to the resident dengue mosquito population from overseas. Dengue mosquitoes live in and around buildings and bite during the day.
The Dengue Fever Outbreaks webpage will tell you if there is an outbreak now. During a dengue outbreak local residents may be at risk of being exposed to dengue fever, but because dengue mosquitoes live and breed in and around buildings, usual tourist activities like visiting the rainforest, reef and beach carry very little risk.
Queensland Health’s Tropical Population Health Network works with local government councils to manage dengue fever in our region. Year round activities include disease surveillance, mosquito surveillance and control and public education. Visit the North Queensland Dengue Fever website for more information about dengue management activities.
If there is an outbreak, follow the advice on these webpages:
Barmah Forest virus has similar symptoms to Ross River Virus although usually the illness is of shorter duration. The virus is passed to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes contract the virus from infected marsupials such as possums kangaroos and wallabies. Some people may become infected without showing any symptoms at all. See the Queensland Health Barmah Forest Virus Fact Sheet for more information.
The following mosquito-borne diseases are extremely rare:
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