Yet Another Disease Spread by Mosquitos

Those insatiable mosquitos have done it once again. They’ve added yet another disease to the growing list of illnesses they can infect us humans with when they choose to make a meal out of our sweet blood. In recent years the Ross River virus has become more and more of a problem for Australian citizens. Around 4,000 Aussies are infected with the mosquito-borne illness every year.

Thankfully, the Ross River virus is not fatal, but its symptoms can put you out of commission for a good few weeks. People infected with the virus experience flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, chills, fatigue, and muscle and joint pain. The symptoms tend to surface around a week after you are infected and, although most people recover within two weeks, some symptoms such as fatigue and muscle and joint pain can last for months. The only protection we have so far is to prevent mosquitos from infecting us in the first place using insect repellent. Outbreaks generally occur when there are higher levels of humidity than normal, and mosquitos actually catch the disease from animals, which they then spread to humans.

Have you ever heard of the Ross River virus? Do you know anyone that has caught it, and what was their experience like?