Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) has been has been declared a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance. JEV is a rare but potentially serious infection of the brain caused by a virus spread to humans through mosquito bites.
JEV has been detected in the Western Victoria Primary Health Network region with the following high risk locations identified:
- Northern Grampians Shire
- West Wimmera Shire
- Yarriambiack Shire
- Rural City of Horsham
- Hindmarsh Shire
Please refer to Japanese encephalitis virus (health.vic.gov.au) for further information.
Access to Japanese encephalitis vaccines
The State Government of Victoria has expanded access to the vaccines for people aged two months and older in areas identified as high risk locations including the Local Government areas listed above if they:
- regularly spend time engaging in outdoor activities that place them at risk of mosquito bites, OR
- are experiencing homelessness, OR
- are living in conditions with limited mosquito protection (for example, tents, caravans, dwellings with no insect screens), OR
- are engaging in outdoor flood recovery (clean-up) efforts, including repeated professional or volunteer deployments.(Vaccination can be administered before arrival in flood affected areas to those from other regions deployed for recovery efforts by arrangement.)
Access to vaccines is also available outside high risk areas for:
- People who work at, reside at, or have a planned non-deferable visit to a:
- piggery, including but not limited to farm workers and their families (including children aged 2 months and older) living at the piggery, transport workers, veterinarians and others involved in the care of pigs
- property that has been confirmed to be infected with JE virus
- property suspected to be infected with JE virus
- pork abattoir or pork rendering plant.
- Personnel who work directly with mosquitoes through their surveillance (field or laboratory based) or control and management, and indirectly through management of vertebrate mosquito-borne disease surveillance systems (e.g., sentinel animals) such as:
- environmental health officers and workers (urban and remote)
- entomologists.
- All diagnostic and research laboratory workers who may be exposed to the virus, such as persons working with JE virus cultures or mosquitoes with the potential to transmit JE virus, as per the Australian Immunisation Handbook.
While the JEV vaccination program is supported by local councils in each of the local government areas identified as high risk, primary care providers are also encouraged to support the vaccination program in the western Victoria region.
Primary care providers who hold a current ‘Onelink’ account are eligible to place an order for the JE vaccination by emailing a request to the Immunisation Unit immunisation@health.vic.gov.au for approval.
Training
Secretary Approvals for Nurse immunisers and Pharmacist immunisers have now been updated to enable these workforces to administer the JE vaccine to individuals who are recommended for vaccination. The Victorian Government Department of Health has developed online training to educate pharmacist immunisers and nurse immunisers about Japanese encephalitis immunisation before they can administer the vaccine in Victoria.
Further information
- Information on Japanese encephalitis for health professionals is also available from the Victorian Department of Health website. Please note: Links to the most up to date version of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus serology and vaccination provider fact sheet are at the bottom on that page
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) JE Serosurvey test request forms
- Or contact the Department of Health via email: immunisation@health.vic.gov.au
Other resources
- HealthPathways – Mosquito-borne Diseases in Victoria
- State Department of Health – Japanese encephalitis virus in Victoria
- CDNA advice regarding vaccination against Japanese encephalitis virus
- Federal Department of Health – Japanese encephalitis virus