First Japanese Encephalitis Case in Australia in 3 Years

A Victorian father, Stephen Bond, has been in a coma for almost a month due to a mosquito bite, marking Australia's first Japanese encephalitis case in three years. This comes amidst a broader context of heightened mosquito-borne virus alerts in Australia, with both Japanese encephalitis and Murray Valley encephalitis detected in New South Wales, prompting health warnings for residents to take preventive measures. Concurrently, a Bill Gates-backed plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Australia aims to curb mosquito populations and reduce disease transmission, although it faces skepticism. In Chennai, India, residents have reported increased mosquito density possibly linked to water stagnation from newly constructed stormwater drains, prompting local authorities to deploy fogging machines to control the mosquito population. These incidents underscore ongoing global issues related to mosquito-borne diseases and efforts to mitigate their impact.