New cases of Ross River virus confirmed in Townsville

Townsville has recorded nine new cases of a mosquito borne virus in the past week.

A female Aedes aegypti mosquito at the JCU lab. PICTURE: MARC MCCORMACK

Townsville has recorded nine new cases of a mosquito borne virus in the past week.

There have been 33 Ross River virus cases recorded in Townsville as of March, nearly half the number of 61 cases reported at the same time in 2019.

Townsville Public Health Unit physician Dr Julie Mudd said the number of notifications for the virus this year, was lower than the five-year average.

“The case numbers of Ross River virus we see are variable year to year based on a range of factors, these include when the rains come, numbers of bush and swamp mosquitoes as well as how much RRV is circulating in native animals at the time,” she said.

“The recent scattered rain we have seen across Townsville over the past couple of weeks provides the ideal breeding conditions for bush mosquitoes.”

Dr Mudd said the virus was carried by different varieties of bush and swamp mosquitoes.

“Ross River virus has symptoms including fever, joint pains and rash, however, in some cases the joint pains can be prolonged,” she said.

“The virus is spread when a mosquito feeds on an infected wild animal and can then be transferred to a person an infected mosquito bites. It is not spread from person to person.”

Townsville City Council continues to do preventative mosquito-control work in bush mosquito breeding sites such as salt marshes.

Originally published as New cases of Ross River virus confirmed in Townsville