Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection Confirmed in NSW's Murrumbidgee Region

The initial Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) case during the summer of 2025 in Australia's New South Wales (NSW) was likely acquired in the Murrumbidgee region. A previous case was identified in a resident of northern Victoria in January 2025.

On February 15, 2025, NSW Health's Executive Director of Health Protection, Dr. Jeremy McAnulty, said this recent case, which is currently recovering in hospital, will likely have acquired the infection in late December (2024) or early January while on holiday.

"This case, along with recent detections in pigs and mosquitoes in NSW and detections in Victoria and Queensland, highlights the risk of JE virus infection in a large stretch of NSW west of the Great Dividing Range," Dr McAnulty said in a press release.

"It is essential for people who live in or travel to these areas to be aware of the elevated risk and to take precautions against mosquito bites."

"Importantly, there is a safe, effective, and free vaccine to protect against JE which is available to anyone who lives or routinely works in various inland LGAs as well as for people who work in some other high-risk occupations."

In Australia, Valneva SE's IXIARO® —JESPECT® JEV vaccine is available through local General Practitioners, Aboriginal health services, and pharmacists. In 2025, this vaccine will be commercially offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in the United States.

As of February 16, 2025, JEV is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in twenty-four countries in the WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions, exposing more than 3 billion people to infection risks.