Massive increases in Ross River Virus cases across the Grampians health region are a legacy of the 2016-17 summer, according to the health department, but should not let people be complacent about mosquito bites.
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The department of health and human services’ surveillance of notifiable conditions report, released on Friday, showed there were 235 cases of the virus in the Grampians region in 2017, up from 20 in 2016 and 39 in 2015.
Spread by mosquito bites, Ross River Virus can cause painful symptoms that last for two to three months and about one quarter of patients experience joint pain that persists for a year or more after the initial infection.
Heavy spring rain in 2016 left large parts of the state inundated creating ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which in turn contributed to the spike in cases.
Other symptoms of the virus include slight fever, a rash that can appear up to two weeks before joint pain and swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck. Symptoms may be prolonged and some patients experience them in decreasing intensity for years after infection, with some cases causing an incapacity and inability to work for two to three months.
Spokesman for the department, Bram Alexander, said these figures do not indicate a spike in the presence of the disease going into 2018.
“We are not seeing a significant increase in numbers for this time of year, this is historical data from summer 2017,” he said.
The data also showed women contracted Ross River Virus more than men in 2017, with 121 cases in women and only 114 cases in men.
The number of Ross River Virus cases for 2017 was more than any other Mosquito-borne disease in the Grampians region, with only seven cases of Dengue Fever and two cases of Barmah Forest Virus diagnosed.
Mr Alexander said while the figures were no cause for alarm, it was important people took practical measures to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
“Currently we are not seeing elevated numbers of notifications of Ross River Virus but people should avoid mosquito bites where possible,” he said.
“We can’t with great accuracy predict what the coming season will be like and we would urge people to take necessary precautions.
“The department will continue to actively monitor mosquito numbers and monitor instances of illness very closely.”
