Barmah Forest Virus in Swan Hill
One case of Barmah Forest Virus has been confirmed in Swan Hill, highlighting the need be aware of mosquito borne viruses this summer.
The wet weather has helped create ideal conditions for the mosquitoes that transmit the disease, which is carried by birds from tropical Queensland.
"Once the floods start subsiding we should get much more transmission"," says Dr Mike Moynihan, a general practitioner in Swan Hill.
He expects that in Swan Hill there will be fifty to a hundred cases by the end of the season in April.
Symptoms of the Barmah Forrest Virus include rashes and painful joints.
"The problem with this disease is that the joint swelling can go on for some years and you get sort of a chronic fatigue syndrome with it, which can go on, in my experience, up to ten years," says Dr Moynihan.
Read the full story at http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/01/07/3108193.htm