Dengue Fever risk in Victoria

Dengue Fever Prevention Guide for Victoria

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, rash, and in severe cases, it can progress to life-threatening dengue haemorrhagic fever. There is no specific antiviral treatment, making prevention essential.

Victoria's current risk score of 67 out of 100 reflects moderate but growing concern. Local risk factors include increasing international travel to dengue-endemic regions, warmer temperatures extending mosquito breeding seasons, urban environments with stagnant water in containers, and the proximity to northern Australian states where Aedes mosquitoes are established. Travellers returning from Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and northern Australia pose a recurring introduction risk, while climate conditions in parts of Victoria increasingly support mosquito survival during warmer months.

Your Five Prevention Steps

1. Eliminate standing water weekly. Empty, scrub, and overturn any containers holding water around your home including pot plant saucers, bird baths, gutters, tyres, and buckets. Aedes mosquitoes breed in clean, stagnant water and only need a small amount to lay eggs.

2. Use registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin when outdoors, especially during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.

3. Wear long sleeves and long pants in light colours when spending time outside, particularly in shaded or garden areas where mosquitoes rest.

4. Install and maintain fly screens on windows and doors, and use mosquito nets if sleeping in unscreened areas.

5. If you have recently travelled to a dengue-affected country and develop sudden fever within 14 days of returning, seek medical care immediately and inform your doctor about your travel history. Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen as these can worsen bleeding risks with dengue.

Stay informed through the Victorian Department of Health for local outbreak updates and travel advisories.