Japanese Encephalitis Emergence in Australia: The Potential Population at Risk

Laith Yakob; Wenbiao Hu; Francesca D Frentiu; Narayan Gyawali; Leon E Hugo; Brian Johnson; Colleen Lau; Luis Furuya-Kanamori; Ricardo Soares Magalhaes; Gregor Devine

doi:10.1093/cid/ciac794

Japanese Encephalitis Emergence in Australia: The Potential Population at Risk

Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Jan 13;76(2):335-337. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac794.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
² Faculty of Health, School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
³ Faculty of Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
⁴ Mosquito Control Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
⁵ School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
⁶ Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
⁷ Queensland Alliance for One Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

PMID: 36184991
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac794

Abstract

In Australia, Japanese encephalitis virus circulated in tropical north Queensland between 1995 and 2005. In 2022, a dramatic range expansion across the southern states has resulted in 30 confirmed human cases and 6 deaths. We discuss the outbreak drivers and estimate the potential size of the human population at risk.

Keywords: Japanese encephalitis; emerging diseases; transmission pathways; zoonoses.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Australia / epidemiology
Disease Outbreaks
Encephalitis Virus, Japanese*
Encephalitis, Japanese* / epidemiology
Humans
Risk Factors