Alarm over mosquito-borne diseases as rain fuels 'bumper' season

Australia's east coast is bracing for a "bumper" mosquito season that may see some diseases rise as the insects thrive on wetter-than-average conditions.

Associate Professor Cameron Webb from NSW Health Pathology told 9news.com.au numbers are expected to explode once the weather warms up.

"With so much water in the environment after the rains and flooding it creates perfect conditions for mosquitoes," he said.

"At the moment, in many parts of Australia particularly in NSW, it's cooler and that keeps numbers in check.

"As soon as warmer weather arrives we're expecting a population increase."

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There are about 300 mosquito species in Australia and they're found in "virtually most parts of Australia".

With numbers tipped to rise, Webb warned about a potential spike in Japanese encephalitis (JEV) cases.

The potentially fatal disease can cause severe neurological illness with headaches, convulsions and reduced consciousness.

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"The concerning thing, is last year we saw the emergence of JEV in the regions of eastern Australia, and if the conditions were right last year they're probably going to be the same this season," he said.

"Health authorities should be on alert for those elevated risk.

"(But) there are other mosquito-borne viruses that are active every season."

The other viruses Webb is most concerned about include Ross River and Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE).

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"Given the likely increase and persistence of mosquito populations, communities across NSW should really be taking steps to avoid mosquito bites," he said,

"The best ways to do that is to cover up with long sleeve shirts, long pants and covered shoes and by wearing topical insect repellants when outside.

"Chose a product that contains DEET, Carotene or Oil of lemon Eucalyptus."

Webb adds there's a "safe and effective" vaccine against JEV, with NSW Health providing recommendations on who should get it.

Those of higher risk of the illness include:

• people who work at, live on or have a planned visit to a piggery
• staff working with mosquitos and,
• work in a laboratory and can get the disease.

In NSW, the Japanese encephalitis vaccine is also recommended for those:

• aged 50 years or older and,
• live in certain Local Government Areas and,
• spend a lot of time outside (on average four hours per day or more)