North East residents undergoing blood tests will be asked to give a little more as a way of learning about the spread of Japanese Encephalitis Virus.
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From Monday, Ovens Murray Public Health Unit will ask people already getting blood tests to allow pathologists to take an extra vial of blood to help understand the prevalence of the virus across the region.
The vials will be tested for JEV as the first phase of a study to understand how many people have had the virus, to inform vaccination programs going forward.
OMPHU operational director Jody Bellette said the study was hoping to get at least 600 participants, particularly from the Rutherglen, Wodonga and Wangaratta areas, where the local Dorevitch Pathology services were participating in the study.
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"The interesting thing with JEV is we saw cases where the disease developed to become either moderate or severe in individuals," she said.
"Some people might have actually been exposed and not realised what they had and that's what we're trying to capture in this study, we're trying to understand what that spread was across our community.
"It is important that people understand this (virus) hasn't gone away it and won't go away and the only way to protect yourself is to beat the bite."
It's expected there will be high numbers of mosquitoes this summer due to high rain fall in recent months, but residents can protect themselves from the virus by applying insect repellent containing DEET, wearing loose fitting clothing, avoiding being outside in the peak mosquito times of dawn and dusk and by using mosquito screens and coils to help keep the bugs away.
The second phase in the study will see the public health unit approach at-risk groups for blood tests, but dates have not yet been confirmed.
Residents previously vaccinated for or diagnosed with JEV cannot participate in the study and neither can people born in a number of south and south east Asian countries.
Meanwhile, Murrumbidgee Local Health District is urging people who live or work in the Murray River, Edward River, Berrigan, Federation, Albury and Greater Hume council areas, who are aged between 50 to 65 and who work four hours a day outside to ask their doctor for vaccination for the virus.
The expansion to these priority groups ensures consistency of approach for NSW residents along the Victorian border, aligning with the approach in Victoria, where at risk groups can receive a free vaccination from their GP.
Thirteen people were diagnosed with JEV in NSW earlier this year and two of those people died, including Corowa man David Keifel.
The OMPHU said it will start vaccination soon.
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