Prevalence of Murray Valley encephalitis virus antibodies in northern Victoria following the 2023 outbreak: a cross-sectional serological survey
Following the first outbreak of Murray Valley encephalitis in Victoria, Australia, since 1974, a serological survey was conducted in 2023 and 2024 to estimate the seroprevalence of Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) antibodies among residents in the north of the state. Between October 2023 and April 2024, a total of 507 residents from 11 local government areas in northern Victoria - Mildura, Swan Hill, Campaspe, Gannawarra, Greater Bendigo, Loddon, Greater Shepparton, Moira, Wodonga, Wangaratta, and Indigo - were tested for MVEV total antibody. Seroprevalence was 2.0% (95% confidence interval: 1.1-3.6%), comparable to background levels of seropositivity prior to the 2023 outbreak. No strong associations were identified between a range of potential risk or protective factors and MVEV seropositivity. Low seroprevalence suggests that the population in this region remains immunologically vulnerable to MVEV infection. Ongoing vector control and efforts to prevent mosquito bites will be critical in preventing flavivirus transmission in northern Victoria during future mosquito seasons.
Authors
- Chuan Kok Lim
- Mitchell Batty (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1825-5629)
- William Cross (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4794-8777)
- Anthony Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1219-3826)
- Jim Black (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9287-8712)
- Joshua Szanyi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9706-0194)
- Madeleine J. Marsland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9610-1120)
- Kylie Carville (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3663-8802)
- Suellen R Nicholson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6585-7150)
- Maxwell Braddick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2595-8699)
- Naveen Tenneti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4484-0808)
- Anna-Jane Glynn-Robinson
- Tilda N. Thomson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4330-9417)
- Theo Karapanagiotidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7057-9765)
- Helen O’Brien
- Marie Heloury
- Alexander Fidao
Institutions
- Australian National University (AU)
- Goulburn Valley Health (AU)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- La Trobe University (AU)
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (AU)
- Department of Health and Human Services (AU)
- Peter Doherty Institute (AU)
- Albury Wodonga Health (AU)
- Bendigo Health (AU)
- Melbourne Health (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communicable Diseases Intelligence
- Published
- 2025-03-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.020
- Primary Topic
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00