In reply: On behalf of our co‐authors, we thank Islam and Seale for their interest in our article.1 We largely support the general sentiments of Islam and Seale.2 The seroprevalence survey that was the focus of our article was undertaken to support and guide the rapid public health response to the emergence of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in New South Wales. The nature of a rapid public health response, which is focused on understanding enough to contain the risk in a short space of time, inherently limits the comprehensiveness of the epidemiological design.
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- 1. Baldwin Z, Hueston L, Roberts‐Witteveen A, et al. The seroprevalence of antibodies to Japanese encephalitis virus in five New South Wales towns at high risk of infection, 2022: a cross‐sectional serosurvey. Med J Aust 2024; 220: 561‐565. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2024/220/11/seroprevalence‐antibodies‐japanese‐encephalitis‐virus‐five‐new‐south‐wales
- 2. Islam MS, Seale H. The seroprevalence of antibodies to Japanese encephalitis virus in five New South Wales towns at high risk of infection, 2022 [letter]. Med J Aust 2024; https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.52453
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- 5. FAO, UNEP, WHO, and WOAH. One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022‐2026). Working together for the health of humans, animals, plants and the environment. Rome: FAO, UNEP, WHO, and WOAH, 2022. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc2289en (viewed July 2024).
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