As if worrying about COVID-19 isn’t enough, people in Victoria Australia now have to worry about a virus that’s much more deadly. Just yesterday the Victoria Department of Health revealed that an Australian man died from Japanese Encephalitis Virus. Due to how this virus is spread you don’t just need to protect yourself with a facemask, you need to protect your entire body.
Did a Japanese Encephalitis Virus Mosquito Kill an Australian Man in Victoria?
According to local Victoria news reports a man in his 60s died from Japanese Encephalitis Virus on February 28. His cause of death was confirmed after an autopsy. However, doctors are still investigating to confirm how he contracted the rare virus.
Historical data on how this virus spreads has led to one wide spread theory among doctors on how the man became infected with the pathogen.
One of the most well known ways that Japanese Encephalitis Virus is spread is through insect bites. Due to this fact local authorities such as Health Minister Martin Foley have urged residents of Victoria Australia to protect themselves from getting bitten by mosquitoes. The scary thing is that Victoria has an unusually high density of mosquitoes. According to CDC data the three groups of mosquitoes which most commonly spread viruses like this are Aedes, Culex and Anopheles.
What are Symptoms of Being Bitten by a Japanese Encephalitis Virus Mosquito?
If there’s any good news about this situation it would be that on average symptoms of Japanese Encephalitis Virus aren’t life threatening, and can include headache or high body temperature. However, in some case the virus can be very deadly causing side effects such as brain swelling, severe nausea, uncontrollable vomiting, and dangerously high body temperatures. When people are experiencing serious symptoms it is considered a medical emergency.
The Victorian man’s death marks the first time Japanese Encephalitis Virus has killed someone in the state. Hopefully this isn’t the beginning of another pandemic.
