Key points
- Cases of mosquito-borne viruses such as Japanese encephalitis are rising.
- Japanese encephalitis survivor Mick Smith is still recovering after falling ill in January 2022.
- Authorities are urging holidaymakers to protect themselves against mosquito bites.
Mick Smith was enjoying a nine-day camping holiday on the Murray River when a mosquito bite turned his life upside down.
The weather was gorgeous and the fish were plentiful at Boundary Bend, which lies between Mildura and Swan Hill.
Mick Smith spent 125 days in hospital with Japanese encephalitis contracted from a mosquito bite.Credit:Jason South
Smith made sure his three children applied mosquito repellant – but neglected to use any himself.
He believes that decision may have resulted in him contracting the mosquito-borne virus Japanese encephalitis, which can produce mild flu-like symptoms in some people while others may suffer seizures, paralysis and confusion. It can be fatal.
The last thing Smith remembers was driving home to Riddells Creek, near Gisborne, after the January 2022 camping trip.
His next recollection is waking in the Royal Melbourne Hospital in March that year with a tracheotomy tube in his throat.
Mick Smith in hospital. “Now I keep thinking if I had died in January, I wouldn’t have even seen it coming,” he said.
“I thought I stacked the car with the caravan on it,” he said. “I didn’t know if my kids were alive. I freaked out.”
Smith, 41, had complained of headaches for about a week after the camping trip. But when he became disoriented and forgot his wife’s name, she rang the Nurse on Call hotline, which called an ambulance.
“I didn’t know who she was or where I lived,” he said.
Smith was placed in a coma while medical teams struggled to figure out what was wrong. After dozens of tests they diagnosed Japanese encephalitis. He was among the first locally acquired cases recorded in Victoria last year.
He spent 125 days in hospital, but cannot remember much of it.
“I don’t remember being in intensive care,” he said. “Now I keep thinking if I had died in January, I wouldn’t have even seen it coming.”
Smith had to relearn everything, including walking and talking, before finally being discharged from the hospital’s rehabilitation centre in May.
“All I could move was my fingers. I couldn’t lift my arms up,” he said.
Mosquito numbers have increased in eastern Australia with the wetter weather conditions.Credit:QIMR Mosquito Control Laboratory
Now, as Victorians prepare to go camping over the Easter break, health authorities are urging holidaymakers to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
Sustained rain from the La Niña weather pattern and devastating floods that ravaged much of northern Victoria late last year created the perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes.
This has led to an increase in mosquito-borne viruses, including Japanese encephalitis.
Five cases of Japanese encephalitis were recorded in Victoria in the past 12 months, compared with a total of 14 in 2022. There has been one death recorded in Victoria since October last year.
Bendigo Health infectious diseases physician Andrew Mahony said mosquitoes were highly active across central and northern parts of Victoria.
“A lot of people might think that mosquitos aren’t a problem at Easter, but that’s not the case this
year,” he said.
There is a vaccine for the disease, although the Department of Health website says global supply is limited. Health advice has primarily focused on preventative measures: using mosquito repellant, covering up and avoiding outdoors at dusk and dawn.
Monash University School of Biological Sciences research fellow Heather Flores said while the number of infections was low, there had been an overall increase in mosquito-borne viruses, including Murray Valley encephalitis.
Mick Smith with wife Julie, who at times feared her husband had acquired a permanent disability.Credit:Jason South
“It’s a big concern. This could keep increasing over the next couple of years,” she said.
Although Smith has returned to full-time work as a project manager for a refrigeration company, he is still recovering. He is trying to rebuild his wasted muscles after months of limited movement.
And while he once prided himself on a razor sharp memory, Smith now struggles to remember simple tasks.
“I’m like a goldfish now. It drives me insane,” he said. “I never used to write myself notes. It was all up in my head. Now I write notes all day, every day.”
Smith’s wife Julie said there were times, when he was in hospital, when she wondered if he had acquired a permanent disability and whether she would have to become his carer.
She hopes sharing their story will encourage others to protect themselves from mosquitoes.
“I just want to spread the word,” she said. “Don’t let this happen to you. Just use the mozzie spray.”
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