Northern beaches: Mum’s warning over mosquito-cause Ross River Virus which left her in agony
A mum who caught a rare virus from a mosquito on the northern beaches is warning people to protect themselves from being bitten, after she suffered months of pain from hideously swollen joints.
Manly
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A woman has described how she caught a rare virus from a mosquito on the northern beaches which left her with hideously swollen joints and in agonising pain for months.
Claire Gallagaher, 50, of Narraweena, was diagnosed with Ross River Virus from a series of mosquito bites she picked up at Brookvale Oval while watching her son play soccer.
It follows a NSW Health alert last month warning northern beaches residents that the Ross River Virus and the Barmah Forest Virus have been found in mosquitos around the Narrabeen Lagoon and Warriewood Wetlands areas.
Already this year there have been 37 confirmed cases in the Northern Sydney Local Health District, which includes the peninsula.
Last year there were 24 cases in total.
Ms Gallagher, who works in financial planning, said she caught the virus in 2013 and it took her three years to recover after she developed chronic fatigue.
She said she still gets sick about five times a year and has to take a day off work to rest.
She issued her warning this month after seeing a worrying and “unprecedented” number of people seeking to join her Facebook support group, Ross River Fever-Virus Support Group.
“We have people joining the group from all over the country, but I’m seeing quite a few people from the northern beaches,” Ms Gallagher said.
“I was text book in that I got sick 14 days after I was bitten.
“I got a rash and joint pain. It comes on really quick and for me it was like standing on glass.
“It got into my feet and then my knees, they looked revolting, so big and swollen, and my ankles too.
“I had to get my wedding rings off quick. I had massive swollen fingers. My left hand was useless. I could not use it for three months.
“I was in so much pain.
“It was also in my tailbone and I could not sit down properly.”
Ms Gallagher said some can recover in a few weeks, but others like herself have suffered symptoms for months or even years and there’s no real treatment.
The swollen joints took around three months to subside.
Ms Gallagher said previously she had been very slim and fit, but following the virus she developed thyroid issues and had chronic fatigue for three years.
She said she still gets sick with the virus four to five times a year, normally when she is run down.
“It is not a nice virus,” she said.
“The biggest frustration for me was that I was a very fit person and I did a lot of exercise, but I can no longer exercise to that level anymore.
“I don’t have the strength in me.”
She said the virus doesn’t discriminate, even fit young tradies are wiped out by it.
She said while many doctors say children only get mild symptoms she has several children in her support group who have been suffering for years.
NSW Health Director of Environmental Health Dr Richard Broome said Ross River infection was relatively rare in Sydney, but people should be cautious.
“There is no treatment for Ross River Virus. The best way to protect yourself is to avoid getting bitten,” he said.
He said symptoms include tiredness, rash, fever and sore and swollen joints, typically within three weeks of being bitten. They can subside after several days but some people may experience them for weeks or even months.