Australia is a country that is an obsession of mine, right up there with New Zealand and Fiji. However, as intrigued as I am with these tropical locations...it is also home to one pesky little mosquito, Aedes camptorhynchus, the Southern Saltmarsh mosquito. This not-so-lovely, flying pest is known to be a bitter not only during dawn and dusk, but also throughout the day.
A. camptorhynchus is the known vector of the Ross River Virus. This virus, although not known to be fatal, leaves it's victims suffering with pain in their muscles and joints (polyarthritis), a rash, high fever, dehydration, and all over weakness. Ross River Virus is more common during the Summer and Autumn months when A. camptohynchus are most abundant. The infection can last anywhere from 3-21 days, in rare cases, a month. It's transmitted from mosquito to human and cannot be spread human to human.
Prevention is fairly straight forward. Use all means of protection possible, from staying indoors or in screened enclosures, to wearing appropriate clothing covering the skin, and of course use insect repellent. Even with this pesky mosquito, it still doesn't detour the desire to visit such amazing countries as Australia and New Zealand...just be sure to pack the "OFF!"
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