Dengue in Australia 2009

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/06/2484803.htm?section=justin

Fears Qld dengue is spreading

Health authorities in far north Queensland say there is a danger dengue fever could spread through Port Douglas, north of Cairns, after its first case was confirmed today.

There have been 277 confirmed cases in Cairns and 47 in Townsville.

Entomologist Brian Montgomery says people need to take precautions to stop the spread of the disease.

"We've had dengue outbreaks before in Port Douglas so there's certainly a risk that it will spread," he said.

"They have a very pro-active program with assessing hotspots there, so it's always encouraging if the public are well educated."

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

<headline>Dengue in north Qld continues to rise</headline>

<!-- Class 'push-0' just right-aligns the element so that the main content comes first. --> <!-- cT-storyDetails --> <cite>February 9, 2009

</cite>
The dengue fever epidemic in flood-ravaged north Queensland has spread, with more than 350 reported cases.

The latest Queensland Health figures shows Cairns has logged 295 cases since the outbreak started in December 1 last year.
Townsville, which has two strains of dengue, has 49 cases and Port Douglas, north of Cairns, has one.

Authorities fear that as floodwaters recede, the mosquito borne-disease will spread further, as the Aedes Aegypti mosquito breeds in stagnant water.

Queensland Health is door-knocking residents in Cairns to circulate the message on how to control mosquito numbers by ensuring there is no water lying in tyres, pot plants, tarps, wheelbarrows and any other garden items.


Dengue infections may cause illness ranging from a mild fever to a severe, even fatal condition known as dengue haemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome.
The symptoms may last up to a week.
Some people may experience a resurgence of fever and other symptoms that may last another two to three days.


http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-...orth-qld-continues-to-rise-20090209-81mk.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Fourth dengue strain found as cases run rife in north Queensland


February 27, 2009

NORTH Queensland's dengue fever epidemic broke new territory yesterday as health officials confirmed a fourth strain of the virus in the region.

Dengue cases have been reported in Cairns, Townsville, Port Douglas and for the first time in recorded history, at Yarrabah, Injinoo and Innisfail.

The number of Cairns people infected soared to 513 yesterday, making it the city's worst outbreak of the potentially deadly disease.

"That's over a period of three months compared to previous outbreaks of 14 months," said Queensland Health physician Frank Beard.

"The rapid spreading nature of the outbreak is a first for us. We haven't seen anything quite like this."

Townsville has recorded 70 cases, Port Douglas 2, Yarrabah 2 and Injinoo and Innisfail both have one case each.

Authorities have linked the latest case in Innisfail to a traveller from Vanuatu.

That case introduces a fourth strain of the virus to the north, a fact that is causing huge concerns about people contracting the more serious form of the disease, dengue haemorrhagic fever.

"We now currently have all four types of dengue circulating in north Queensland which is the first time ever," Dr Beard said. "If you get two doses of dengue of different types then you're at higher risk of serious complications.

"We recommend that anyone who's had dengue before takes extra precautions, so wearing personal repellent regularly during the day, using mozzie zappers or mosquito coils inside, using surface sprays."

Cairns Base Hospital staff have treated one suspected case of dengue haemorrhagic fever in the latest epidemic with the patient requiring intensive care.

Meanwhile, a Cairns resident was fined $400 this week after mosquito larvae were found in water-filled tyres on a property.

Cairns Regional Council health officers issued the on-the-spot fine, the first under heavy penalties aimed at deterring dengue mosquito breeding.

The Australian Veterinary Pesticides and Medicines Authority has given approval for a different insecticide to be tried against dengue mosquitoes after evidence some insects may have become resistant to the commonly-used variety.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,27574,25115950-3102,00.html

 

[kezza01]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

We have now had a report of our first dengue-related death in Queensland as a result of this outbreak:

Woman dies from dengue fever

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Dengue outbreak abating: Qld officials

<!-- Class 'push-0' just right-aligns the element so that the main content comes first. --> <!-- cT-storyDetails --> March 9, 2009
Queensland health authorities say they are winning battles against the state's worst-ever outbreak of dengue fever - but the war isn't over yet.


Areas that were causing concern as potential sites where the disease could spread have been declared safe, and some strains of the crippling illness are no longer active in some areas.


By Monday morning, 678 people had been stricken with dengue fever since November, and it has been blamed for the death of an 82-year-old woman in Cairns on March 1.


The Cairns suburbs of Aloomba, Clifton Beach, Earlville, Freshwater, and Kewarra Beach, and the town of Port Douglas are no longer considered as "active sites" for local transmission of dengue fever.


Type two dengue fever is also no longer considered to be active in Cairns and Type three has abated in Townsville.


However, it will be three months after the last onset of illness before the north Queensland cities are officially declared dengue-free in May.
A Queensland Health spokesman said there was reason for optimism but not complacency.


"We've won a couple of battles but not yet the war," he said.
"Certainly the Type three strain in Cairns is still active."


Cairns has recorded 599 dengue cases and Townsville 71. Smaller outbreaks have occurred at Port Douglas, Yarrabah, Injinoo, Innisfail, and the Atherton Tableland town of Mareeba, west of Cairns.


Meanwhile, the Cairns Regional Council, which has imposed $400 fines on three citizens found harbouring water containers that were potential breeding sites, has upset locals after a water-filled container with mosquito larvae was found at a council works depot.


Council CEO Noel Briggs said he was grateful the matter was reported, despite the embarrassment.


"I'm very disappointed but it reinforces to everyone, including my staff, to be vigilant," Mr Briggs said.


http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...reak-abating-qld-officials-20090309-8sxe.html

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/20/2521898.htm

Fears Innisfail dengue cases rising

Posted 9 hours 26 minutes ago
Updated 8 hours 53 minutes ago

Queensland Health says it is concerned the outbreak of type-four dengue fever in Innisfail in far north Queensland is growing, with six cases of the mosquito-borne disease now confirmed in the town.

Dr Jeffrey Hannah from Tropical Population Health says another six cases are yet to be confirmed.

He says dengue response teams from Cairns and Townsville have been sent to the area.

"With approval, with consent of the householders doing some targeted spraying around where sick people have been, but as well as that, it's really the same messages for the community of Innisfail - we're doing what we can, but the people of the community must help us," he said.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/26/2526586.htm?section=australia

Scientist hopes malaria efforts help dengue fight
By Jonathon Hall
Posted Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:00am AEDT


A Brisbane-based Army scientist hopes her work on treatments for drug-resistant malaria may also help control dengue fever.

Major Alyson Auliff has won the 2009 Fulbright Scholarship for her work to prevent military casualties from malaria, and will head to the US to work with experts to develop a treatment for drug-resistant malaria.

There are 754 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne dengue fever in Cairns, in far north Queensland, and another 72 in Townsville in the state's north.

Major Auliff hopes studying malaria parasites may also lead to breakthrough on how dengue is treated.

"We could definitely transfer this technology into looking at viruses," she said.

"It's got a great potential - there's a lot of genetically modified work that's going on with mosquitoes in allowing the mosquito to stop transmitting that disease, so this technology could be transferred towards that."

Major Auliff says when Australia sent soldiers to East Timor on peacekeeping duties in 1999, more than 260 came back with malaria.

She says her work will help protect Australian troops on future overseas missions.

"We're concerned that with these soldiers deploying to East Timor, to the Solomon Islands or Papua New Guinea, that they're going to be exposed to quite a large amount of resistant parasites," she said.

"So then we want to be able to develop better treatments so that when they do get sick they can overcome it rather quickly and not have it lingering for years.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/03/27/35235_local-news.html

Don't let dengue guard down
Henry Tuttiett
Friday, March 27, 2009
? The Cairns Post

HEALTH authorities say the Cairns dengue fever outbreak may be slowing but they have warned people about the dangers of letting down their guard.

The first signs of the slowdown were evident last week, when public health physician Jeffrey Hanna said the outbreak was not as intense as it was two to three weeks ago.

There were 738 confirmed cases of the disease in the Far North on Friday afternoon and by late yesterday that number had risen by 47 to 785 cases.

Less than two weeks ago, Queensland Health was reporting up to 20 new cases a day, a number which would have seen an increase of 120 cases rather than 47.

Senior medical entomologist Brian Montgomery said the possible slowing of the outbreak was not a green light for people to stop taking precautions.

He said up to 17 suburbs in Cairns were still active in dengue fever transmission.

"This is definitely not the time to take the foot off the accelerator," he said.

"We are stepping up our control teams over the next few weeks because we are still finding containers and potential breeding sites.

"The message is dengue fever is still well and truly alive in Cairns but if we can break it now it's beneficial to everyone."

Mr Montgomery said a combination of the lack of recent rain in Cairns, people no longer going to doctors when they felt ill and the lack of reporting of new cases may be the reason behind the slowing trend.

"What we don't want to do is take that trend and say we are on our way down," he said.

"Our plea to the public is please wear repellent and keep checking your yards once a week."

Queensland Health will only declare the outbreak over once three months have passed without a single new case of dengue fever.

"We are very keen to break this virus in Cairns but that would be three months of no new cases and we are nowhere near that yet," Mr Montgomery said.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...ak-slowing-in-northern-qld-20090328-9efp.html

Dengue outbreak slowing in northern Qld
March 28, 2009 - 1:04AM

An end to Australia's worst dengue fever outbreak may be in sight as the rate of infection slows in far north Queensland.

The number of infections has slowed to fewer than 10 a day, down from a peak of about 20 a day in the Cairns area - the epicentre of the outbreak.

However, health authorities have warned residents throughout the north to remain on guard because fresh rainfall and complacency could see the epidemic spiral out of control.

"We've had some encouraging signs in the last few weeks that the number of cases has declined (but) we've still got a long way to go even if that is sustained," Queensland Health Physician Dr Frank Beard said.

"We're still getting a significant number of cases and it's likely to be several months before we can be confident of getting rid of it."

Authorities are hoping the onset of the dry season in the coming months will give them a better opportunity to cull the population of the Aegis aegypti mosquito, which spreads the disease.

If the disease is not eradicated during the dry months, there's a significant risk it could become endemic to the region.

"We are actually trying to ramp up our response to make sure we nail this outbreak," Dr Beard said.

So far, some 860 people have contracted dengue fever with the vast majority of cases occurring in the Cairns area. Townsville has also been affected but to a much lesser degree.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2530748.htm

Cooler weather slows dengue outbreak
The World Today - Tuesday, 31 March , 2009 12:42:00
Reporter: Meg Purtell

ELEANOR HALL: Authorities trying to control the outbreak of dengue fever in Far North Queensland say the dry weather has helped to reduce the number of dengue mosquitoes.

The mosquito-borne disease has infected more than 800 people since the epidemic began late last year.

But the cooler conditions may finally bring an end to the outbreak.

As Meg Purtell reports.

(Sound of rain)

MEG PURTELL: The heavy rainfall of the wet season in Far North Queensland has provided ideal conditions for the Aedes aegypti mosquito to breed.

Since December, more than 800 people have been infected by the disease, and an 82-year-old woman died from dengue-related illness earlier this month.

Brian Montgomery is a senior medical entomologist with Queensland Health.

BRIAN MONTGOMERY: Unfortunately, all the signs right back in beginning of December were there to say, 'hey, this is going to be a unique and large outbreak'.

So it's no surprise, I guess, that the numbers have gone high.

It's anyone's guess as to how high they can go.

MEG PURTELL: It's the first time all four types of dengue have been active at the same time in one region.

And it's also the widest spread outbreak - affecting seven communities from Townsville to the tip of Cape York.

This morning, Cairns recorded its coldest March morning since 1953 and Dr Montgomery says the cooler weather will help.

BRIAN MONTGOMERY: Certainly, if you want to grow dengue mosquitoes all you have to do is leave a container in your back yard and add water.

So what we've seen at the moment is quite a bout of drier weather, so less water means less dengue mosquitoes.

As we head towards winter we know that the life cycle of the dengue mosquito also takes longer, which gives us more opportunity to get our field teams in and control mosquitoes before they spread the virus.

MEG PURTELL: Queensland Health has spent almost $2-million trying to keep the epidemic under control and 80 staff are still working full time on the outbreak.

Inspection teams have visited more than 14,000 homes around Cairns, finding 50,000 mosquito breeding sites.

Four people have been issued with on-the-spot fines for failing to clean up their properties.

But it's a much different story further south in Townsville.

Just 72 cases of dengue fever have been recorded.

BRIAN MONTGOMERY: The reason why Townsville is a much lower number is really that there wasn't that significant delay from when the first person travelled to Townsville to when the health authorities knew that there was a dengue outbreak.

So they are implementing the same strategies that we implement in Cairns, and it's really just a matter of the dengue outbreak in Cairns had a much larger head start then the one in Townsville.

ELEANOR HALL: Dr Brian Montgomery is a medical entomologist. He was speaking to Meg Purtell.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25285450-29277,00.html

Dengue researcher catches disease in lab

AAP
April 03, 2009 07:33pm

QUEENSLAND Health says there's absolutely no risk of people in Brisbane catching dengue fever - despite a local scientist being diagnosed with the disease.

The researcher was infected while working with the virus in a laboratory, as part of the dengue fever eradication program.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young says they're not sure yet how he caught the bug, so safety precautions in the lab have been stepped up.

"We don't think he was bitten by a mozzie but we can't exclude it,'' she said on Friday.

"The most likely scenario is that he's been infected by some of the dengue virus he was working with.''

The scientist was sick enough to be admitted to hospital but has been released.

Dr Young says he's recovering well.

"Because we don't know how he got it, we've increased the use of personal protective equipment in that laboratory,'' she said.

"That means they'll wear the gear all the time - masks, double gloves, gowns, all those sorts of things.''

''...no one outside that lab is at any risk,'' she said.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25314488-29277,00.html

Dengue fever outbreak worst in 20 years
By Danny Rose
AAP
April 09, 2009 06:10pm

ALMOST 1000 people have been infected with dengue fever in north Queensland, officially making it the worst outbreak in almost 20 years.

But there is some good news, with experts saying the rate of infection is slowing.

The count late today was 935 cases, mostly in Cairns. That tops the previous worst outbreak of 1992-93 when about 900 people were infected with the mosquito-borne virus in Townsville and Charters Towers.

The latest outbreak started on December 1 and Queensland Health officials say it's been particularly virulent, leaving people "sicker than we have previously seen" and claiming one life. A frail 82-year-old Manoora woman died on March 1 at Cairns Base Hospital. Although she had other health problems she tested positive to dengue and the disease probably contributed to her death.

"The current epidemic is the largest dengue outbreak on recent record in Cairns in terms of case numbers, and is certainly one of the most severe we have seen in recent times," Public Health Medical Officer Margaret Young said.

"The good news is that over the recent weeks we've seen a steady decline in the number of new cases. However, there is an ongoing risk to the community and we want people to remain aware that dengue is still circulating."

Dr Young said the latest epidemic was also "fast" - a less severe outbreak in 2003 and 2004 took more than a year to get to 536 cases. This outbreak took just 14 weeks to reach the same figure.

"The epidemic has also left people sicker than we have previously seen, with approximately one in four dengue cases requiring some form of hospital care," Dr Young said.

She said a recent bout of dry, cooler temperatures in north Queensland had helped to slow the spread of the virus, as had efforts to clear mosquito breeding sites.

Northern Queensland residents going away for the Easter long weekend have been urged to remain vigilant, and not leave out any buckets or other items where water can pool.

Authorities fear that if the virus continues to spread in low numbers during the winter, it could spark a fresh wave of infections when the weather warms up again.

"The last time a dengue outbreak continued through the winter in Cairns was in 1998," Dr Young said.

"There is a long-term risk that dengue could become endemic in North Queensland so it's important that local residents continue to clear their yards of breeding sites throughout the winter."

Dengue is not currently endemic in Australia. Outbreaks begin when a traveller picks up the virus overseas and returns home while infected. While the current outbreak is the worst in recent decades, Dr Young said there were reports of dengue outbreaks in the early to middle of last century that "affected many thousands of people, including in Brisbane"

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/04/22/39105_local-news.html

Dengue here to stay
Carenda Jenkin
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
? The Cairns Post

QUEENSLAND Health fears dengue fever may be here to stay.

This comes as international experts attend a special summit in Cairns this week to help Queensland Health eradicate the virus before the next wet season.

But medical entomologist Dr Scott Ritchie fears dengue fever may become endemic in the Far North.

"That means it showing up anytime, any place, wet season especially. We?d have periodic outbreaks," Dr Ritchie said.

"The other thing is, we probably, or could have, more large epidemics that would go through an entire area then we?d get another dengue imported on top of this and start seeing more dengue haemorrhagic fevers, much more severe cases and more fatalities."

For the first time during the Far North?s worst dengue epidemic, Queensland Health is turning to Singapore experts for immediate help to prevent dengue becoming endemic.

"At the summit we will discuss how to get rid of the virus and how do we prevent this from happening again in the future and what?s a sustainable program and efforts we need to make so we don?t have dengue outbreaks like this again," Dr Ritchie said.

"We can get rid of this dengue well and truly in two or three months and? kick our feet up, relax and say, ?Job well done? and then boom three years later we are right back where we started and we want to prevent that from
happening."

Dr Ritchie said Tropical Population Health could see more cases re-emerging in May after the rain over Easter.

"It won?t be like what it was like in February because its cooler weather but right now people should get out into their yards and clean up," he said.

"We may have to be more heavy handed with people.

"There?s 14 imported cases this year and we?re not halfway through the year and it?s getting worse.

"There?s a big outbreak at Buenos Aires right now and they?ve never had it before."

Of the 963 cases in North Queensland, 890 have been recorded in the Far North.

This is the first time that all four strains of dengue fever have been recognised as circulating simultaneously in North Queensland at the same time.

 

[KBD]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

I understand that scientists are trying to guage whether the virus may have muted enabling it to replicate faster within the mosquito, thus enabling the mosquito to become infectant earlier and for longer, and speeding up the time it takes for secondary infections to occur. It's believed something similar occured with chikungunya virus and the Ae. albopictus mozzie on the island of Reunion several years ago.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/04/25/39765_local-news.html

Dengue plan 'didn't work'

Ben Blomfield

Saturday, April 25, 2009
? The Cairns Post


QUEENSLAND Health has admitted its dengue fever control program has failed the Far North this year and vowed to overhaul its response plan.

As the dengue fever summit in Cairns drew to a close yesterday, experts unveiled the final touches to an amended response plan after being caught out by a protocol "that didn?t work".

Queensland Health?s medical entomologist Dr Scott Ritchie said the department?s dengue fever management plan was ill-equipped for this year?s outbreak, with reported cases swelling to 896.

"We had a plan in place and we did implement the plan, I will say there were aspects of the plan that didn?t work," he said. "Our goal is to eradicate and eliminate the virus ?we?ve done that successfully 23 times."

Dr Ritchie said the new prevention plan would prepare the department for future high-spreading outbreaks.

The new system will combine mosquito data, case data and environment data to create a mapping system that identifies and targets dengue-vulnerable areas before the virus hits.

"It?s to better predict where another outbreak is likely to spread, prioritise the area for control rather than just willy nilly doing it," he said. "It?s a quick way of pulling all that stuff together to help guide our control system."

Atlanta?s Emory University department of environment studies chairman Uriel Kitron said the new system used case statistics to pre-empt potential outbreak areas.

"Using some statistical tools and some modelling techniques, you can actually ideally determine this is a really important case and really important premises," the US professor said.

"If I?m worried about this house in Cairns North, I?m going to send someone out there right away."

Dr Ritchie also said authorities would beef up surveillance and checks at households where the aegis aegypti mosquito had previously bred.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/04/28/40185_local-news.html

Dengue outbreak cracks 900
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
? The Cairns Post

THE Cairns region's worst dengue fever outbreak on record has broken through the barrier of 900 confirmed cases.

First declared in December, the outbreak has spread faster and wider than any previous on record, infecting Innisfail to the south and Injinoo to the north.

Port Douglas, Mareeba and Yarrabah have also been infected, although there has been no recent transmission in those areas for weeks.

A separate outbreak also took hold in Townsville earlier this year, infecting 73 people there before slowing to a stop last month.

The focus of the Far North?s outbreak has now moved to Innisfail, where there 29 cases have been confirmed so far.

Authorities have again urged people not to let their guard down, encouraging residents to continue to clean their yards and tip out any stagnant water.

A dengue fever summit held in Cairns last week and including dengue fever experts from across the world, found more work needed to be done in preventing future dengue fever outbreaks, rather than reacting to them once they have become apparent.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/05/2561601.htm

Dengue fever outbreak 'worst in 50yrs'
Already 901 cases of type-3 dengue have been confirmed across north Queensland.

Queensland Health says the dengue fever outbreak in the state's north has become the largest outbreak in at least 50 years.

Already 901 cases of type-3 dengue have been confirmed across the region.

During an outbreak in 1992/93, 900 cases were recorded in Townsville and Charters Towers.

Queensland Health's Brian Montgomery says the total number of dengue cases in the north is expected to pass 1,000 this week.

"We won't be stepping down our resources until the outbreak is officially declared over, which is three months after any active confirmed transmission," he said.

"Our commitment is to make sure this outbreak ends, now whether that's going to be during winter, or a little bit later, is yet to be determined.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05/06/2561897.htm?section=justin

Forget swine flu: dengue is spreading
By Charlotte Glennie for AM
AM | abc.net.au/am
Posted 47 minutes ago
Updated 36 minutes ago

Swine flu has been dominating the headlines for the past fortnight, but Queensland health authorities are struggling with another threat which also sees patients present with flu-like symptoms.

Health officials have confirmed that the outbreak of dengue fever in the state's north is now the worst in 50 years.

Since December more than 900 cases of the current type three outbreak have been reported, and there has been one death.

And new research suggests it is not just people living in north Queensland who need to be worried.

Tracey Young is at the forefront of the fight against dengue fever in Cairns. She had just started a new project with the local Tropical Population Health Service when she came down with the very disease she was employed to prevent.

"When I first found out I had dengue fever, [I was] having very severe pain behind my eyes," she said.

"And I did think at the time that I might have eye strain; I wear glasses. And that night, very, very quickly I became very flushed in the face and very hot, and the headache got worse, and I didn't sleep.

"After that I had three days of not being able to sleep at all. The fever is so intense that your mind just doesn't stop.

"Probably about four or five days later I developed a very, very sore rash over my joints and my body, and then the pain started in the joints, specifically the knees and ankles.

"And it really does feel like someone is jamming a red hot poker into your joints. It's extremely painful."

War against mosquitos

Queensland Health Medical entomologist Brian Montgomery says north Queensland is in the grip of the worst dengue epidemic in decades.

"What we have in north Queensland, in particular Cairns at the moment, is we've just reached the milestone of 901 cases, which is in excess of the previous large outbreak in 1992-93 in Townsville and Charters Towers," he said.

"[It] basically marks this as the most significant outbreak since the mid-1950s."

Back in the 1950s, 15,000 people in Townsville were infected with the viral disease, a situation health authorities do not want to see repeated.

Since this current dengue outbreak was declared in December, Queensland Health has been waging war against mosquitoes.

Throughout the state's north, officials have visited tens of thousands of properties and cleared more than 100,000 mosquito breeding sites.

They have been visiting homes and workplaces and spraying surfaces in what Mr Montgomery says is a desperate attempt to eradicate the disease.

"We've had a very busy year this year with imports of dengue into north Queensland; as it stands, I think we've had about 17 recorded," he said.

"What we're seeing globally is dengue is becoming more and more of a problem, and the flow-on effect of that is that north Queensland, where dengue mosquitoes are present all year round, will remain at risk each year."

Spreading virus

But according to newly published research by Dr Nigel Beebe from the University of Queensland, it is not just people living in north Queensland who should be concerned.

He warns that installing rainwater tanks in urban backyards could see the dengue virus spreading to cities throughout Australia by 2050.

"We found that the installation of water tanks in our major capital cities as a tool for drought-proofing our cities was producing a risk of dengue mosquito getting back into some of these regions, and actually getting further south," he said.

"And this would produce, in the summer months, transmission risks for dengue."

It is a risk Mr Montgomery at Queensland Health is well aware of.

"Certainly the need to have rainwater storage devices in homes needs to be balanced with the realisation that down the track there will be a requirement that they will need to be monitored and repaired to ensure that the dengue mosquito, which was previously more widely distributed outside of Queensland, doesn't get a toehold and start to move southward again," he said.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,27574,25464475-3102,00.html



Patrick Lion

May 12, 2009 12:00am

THE Bligh Government is ignoring warnings about a dengue fever outbreak in southeast Queensland, despite one of the state's worst epidemics of the potentially fatal disease arriving on the region's doorstep.

Documents reveal the southeast has been left exposed after Queensland Health experts asked for $6.3 million before last year's Budget to combat a possible outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus.

The plan, aimed at the southeast and central Queensland, included house-to-house surveillance for container breeder mosquitoes, workforce training, communication measures and research.

But the funding proposal was rejected. Since then, one north Queenslander has died as 1000 people contracted the disease outside of the southeast.

The virus has now migrated as far south as Goomeri, near Gympie.

The migration came after a 2008-09 funding proposal, obtained by Channel 7 under Freedom of Information laws, identified a "significant risk" that the type of mosquito carrying dengue would reach central Queensland and Brisbane.

"The potential for large outbreaks of dengue in Queensland and, in particular, Brisbane is a serious communicable disease threat that Queensland needs to urgently address," Queensland Health experts said in their funding proposal.

The carrier, aedes aegypti mosquito, was considered a "significant risk" as it could breed in rainwater tanks.

Health Minister Paul Lucas last night dismissed the concerns of his department's experts, saying that "Brisbane is not at risk" from dengue fever.

In a written statement, he said $2.4 million had been spent on the "response" to the north Queensland dengue outbreak, but he would not say when it was allocated.

"There is no evidence that the aedes aegypti mosquito . . . is currently breeding in southeast Queensland," he said. "That's why our dengue response is focused on north Queensland. The department will continue to work very closely with local councils in the southeast to provide advice on mosquito eradication."

But Opposition health spokesman Mark McArdle said he was appalled the Government was not going to do anything.

"It seems the Premier would rather risk a public health emergency than make a small investment in preventive health measures," he said.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Dengue in Australia

Re: Dengue in Australia

Source: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...utbreak-in-townsville-over-20090521-bg6m.html

Dengue fever outbreak in Townsville over
May 21, 2009 - 10:04AM

The dengue fever outbreak in Townsville is officially over.

Queensland Health (QH) says the outbreak, which began on January 4, saw 73 people confirmed with the mosquito-borne disease.

Public Health Physician Dr Steven Donohue from QH says no new cases have been diagnosed since late February, but he has warned locals to remain `dengue aware' as outbreaks are still active in Cairns and Innisfail.

"Our policy is to allow a three-month period to elapse after the last new dengue case has been notified before making an all-clear declaration," said Dr Donohue.

"This is just in case low level dengue transmission might still be occurring.

"Now this period has elapsed, we can officially call the outbreak over.

"However, with the people movement between Townsville and Cairns, there is a chance of another dengue outbreak starting in Townsville, so I urge all residents to stay dengue alert".

The Townsville outbreak came during a record dengue epidemic in Cairns, with more than 900 people infected by the type 3 outbreak, which has also seeded dengue outbreaks in Yarrabah, Port Douglas, Injinoo and Mareeba.