NSW Health is urging the community to stay vigilant and take precautions against mosquito bites after an eighth NSW resident has been confirmed to have Japanese encephalitis (JE).
The confirmed case is a man aged in his 50s from the Temora area in the Riverina region. He was treated in hospital before being discharged and is continuing to recover in the community.
With the evolving nature of the JE situation across the country, NSW Health is transitioning the way it reports cases in NSW residents from today.
In line with national reporting structures, NSW Health will finalise any new cases and locations each day at 4pm, and report them the next day on the NSW Health website.
The JE virus is spread by mosquitoes and can infect animals and humans. The virus cannot be transmitted between humans, and it cannot be caught by eating pork or other pig products.
There is no specific treatment for JE, which can cause severe neurological illness with headache, convulsions and reduced consciousness in some cases.
The best thing people throughout the state can do to protect themselves and their families against JE is to take steps to avoid mosquito bites.
Simple actions you can take include:
For further information on mosquito-borne disease and ways to protect yourself go to Japanese encephalitis.