West Nile virus: is there a message for Australia?

Mackenzie, John S; Hall, Roy A; Smith, David W

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05029.x

Topics

The US strain of West Nile virus could enter Australia, but we may be protected by the already present Kunjin virus

Australia needs to consider the implications of the recent emergence and spread of West Nile virus in the United States, including the possibility of its spread to Australia. This development also raises questions about Kunjin virus, a subtype of West Nile virus, which already occurs widely in Australia.

1 School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD.
2 Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Western Australian Centre for Pathology and Medical Research, Nedlands, WA.

Correspondence:

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