The resurgence of Japanese encephalitis (JE) this summer and the detection of Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) in mosquitoes has health authorities concerned, but the likelihood of death from either remains low.
There have been seven deaths from 45 cases of JE notified in Australia since January 1, 2021, with almost all of the cases from 2022.
Alerts for the mosquito-borne viruses have followed flooding in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, which have created the perfect environment for numbers of the insects to grow rapidly.
