Japanese encephalitis virus continues to spread in Australia. It has been detected in the country’s mosquito and arbovirus surveillance programs, as well as in feral pigs and commercial piggeries in most states and territories. The virus has claimed two lives this year and has been detected in mosquitoes collected in Queensland’s capital city, Brisbane, for the first time.

Japanese encephalitis virus was reported in regions of Australia for the first time in the summer of 2021-2022. At the time, experts described it as the “most significant local arbovirus emergency in almost 50 years.”

The outbreak, fueled by La Niña weather patterns, led Australia’s acting chief medical officer to declare the outbreak a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance in March 2022. It resulted

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