Japanese encephalitis Australia: A South African pensioner’s battle with Japanese encephalitis, “I didn’t know I had been bitten”

Garry Taylor ‘pulled the pin’ on his professional life as a builder in February last year, bought a boat and planned to spend his retirement traveling along the Murray River.

Of the 45 people who have contracted the virus in Australia, seven have died.

NSW Health has issued a new warning about the potentially deadly virus this week as it confirmed the first detection of Murray River encephalitis (MVE) – a localized strain closely related to Japanese encephalitis – in a mosquito in Menindee, in the far west of New South Wales.

The last time locally acquired EVD cases were detected in New South Wales was in 2011.

The effects of Japanese encephalitis

The 71-year-old believes he caught the virus around the time he bought a boat in Goolwa and drove it along the Murray River to his home in Sunnydale, near Punyelroo in the Riverland of South Australia, in February 2022.

“I never knew I had been bitten. I never noticed a mosquito bite or anything that might have indicated that,” Taylor said.

About 20 days after the bite, Taylor suddenly became incredibly ill.

“I wasn’t feeling well so I decided to take a shower and watch a movie and I don’t even remember taking a shower.

“Then I woke up in a hospital, I don’t even know how many days later.”

Taylor’s partner, Karen, remembers exactly what happened.

“It was during the day, he came back after working away,” Karen said.

“He decided he wasn’t going to work anymore and I said ‘it’s okay’.

“Everything was fine until we went to bed, but he threw up during the night.”

The next morning, Karen called the ambulance because he was delirious and had a high temperature.

Once in hospital, Taylor underwent numerous tests and eventually got a diagnosis from an interstate hospital, as Lyell McEwin Hospital in Adelaide had never had a case before.

“He was very, very sick – this virus just hits people,” Karen said.

“He’s completely changed, he didn’t speak much and if he spoke it was very softly…he has a pretty strong voice.”

Taylor said when he woke up he felt weak and had no idea what had happened.

“I thought if this was what I should expect, I’m not interested.

“There’s no cure for this thing, it’s like you get it and you survive, you survive.”

He said his partner came to visit him every day and gave him hope.

“I can’t fault the way I was looked after, I think everyone did as well as they could for me.”

Taylor spent about six weeks in the hospital, was admitted on February 20, and was finally released on April 3, 2022.

Since April, Taylor has improved physically since becoming very weak, but he still struggles mentally due to the swelling in his brain.

“I knew my brain wasn’t working like it used to,” Taylor said.

“I had been using a computer for years, but I couldn’t do anything on the computer, I couldn’t remember the codes, I couldn’t remember anything.

“Before, there were never any problems, only solutions. Now, there are only problems.

“I was an extremely positive person, nothing was ever a problem and when you lose that you lose a lot.”

Karen said she felt lucky he didn’t die from JEV.

“He has recovered very well overall from a very serious illness,” she said.

Along with the diagnosis, the couple also faced flooding on their property as the water level in the Murray River slowly rose over the Christmas and New Year period.

Their house is on a hill and flood waters have crept right up to their front door.

But they are more concerned about the increase in mosquitoes that the flood will bring.

The “worst mosquito season” to come

Health officials warned yesterday that the state could experience the “worst” mosquito season yet.

There are five mosquito-borne viruses currently active in the state, including Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus, as well as Japanese encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis and of West Nile.

South Africa’s chief public health officer, Nicola Spurrier, said the state’s floods, a wet spring and a hot summer are causing mosquito populations to explode.

The government is urging South Australians, especially those in the Riverland, to protect themselves from bites by covering up and using mosquito repellent containing DEET or lemon eucalyptus oil, on any uncovered areas.

“Don’t just dab it on like you’re using cologne, you need to cover all exposed areas of your skin,” Spurrier says.

“It’s like sunscreen, if you leave an area the mosquito will come and bite you because you didn’t hide the smell of the skin.”

She also suggested removing any excess water around the house, using mosquito coils and replacing mosquito nets with holes.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, and a rash.

Symptoms of encephalitis include “very severe” inflammation of the brain.

“You might start to get a little confused, get a stiff neck and that can lead to coma and unfortunately we see some people dying,” she said.

Japanese encephalitis vaccines are available free of charge to those who live or vacation near the river.