Northern Territory health officials have issued an alert for the public to take precautions such as wearing insect repellent, following the death of a person from Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE).
NT Health said the viral infection was likely contracted in Darwin through a mosquito bite, and did not provide the person's age or gender.
It is the fifth death from the mosquito-borne virus in the NT in the past two decades.
The alert warned residents across the Top End that the highest-risk period for MVE was between February and June.
Symptoms include headaches, fever, drowsiness, tremors and seizures, with severe cases experiencing delirium, coma, permanent brain damage and death.
But experts say only one in every 1,000 people bitten by an infected mosquito will develop symptoms.
Infants, young children and newly arrived residents in the NT were among those most at risk.
It is similar to another mosquito-borne virus, Japanese encephalitis, which has also been detected in the Northern Territory after a spike in cases in southern Australia last year.
Authorities warned the highest-risk areas for contracting MVE included near swamps, creeks, wetlands and parks around Darwin and in remote areas.
Residents are being urged to take the following precautions:
- use a mosquito repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon or eucalyptus
- wear light-coloured protective clothing, with long sleeves, if in outdoor, mosquito-prone areas
- avoid the outdoors around dusk and dawn, and at night in areas of high vegetation
- use mosquito-proof accommodation and camping facilities at night
- use mosquito coils, mosquito lanterns and barrier sprays containing bifenthrin in patios and outdoor areas near houses
- ensure children are adequately protected against mosquitoes
NT Health said there had been no further cases of either MVE or Japanese encephalitis detected this year.
In 2021, a man on the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, died after contracting either MVE or the similar Kunjin virus.
Two people, including a Canadian tourist, also died from the virus in 2011.
