Barmah Forest virus (arbovirus infection)

Fact sheet - Health conditions directory

Barmah Forest virus is the name given to a virus that is carried by mosquitoes. The mosquito may have contracted the virus from infected marsupials particularly possums, kangaroos and wallabies or from infected humans. The infection is not fatal and all people who develop the disease do recover.  Australia is the only country where Barmah Forest virus has been identified. There are over 400 cases of Barmah Forest virus reported in Queensland each year.

Read Queensland Health guidelines for public health units.

Notification

Notification resources

• List of all Pathological, clinical and provisional diagnosis notifiable conditions
• List of Public Health Unit contacts
• Notifiable conditions report form for Queensland doctors/clinicians (PHA S70) or person in charge of a hospital (PHA S71) (PDF, 77kB) - if faxing notification, follow up by phone.
• Notification criteria for pathology laboratories (PDF, 55kB)

Enhanced surveillance for public health units

Case report form (PDF, 227kB) - used by public health units to collect and manage more detailed information for enhanced case surveillance.

• Mosquito borne diseases – information for health professionals.
• Guidelines to minimise mosquito and biting midge problems in new development areas (PDF, 195kB) - assists local government and developers when creating and implementing development plans and insect mitigation programs.

• View communicable diseases data for notifiable conditions in Queensland.