Medical Questions » Viruses Questions » Question No. 1032
| Question: | It has taken several weeks, but finally my doctor has diagnosed my aches and pains as Barmah Forest infection. He says it is like Ross River fever, but different. Can you explain further? |
| Answer: | Barmah Forest virus is a blood infection that is more common in males than females and in the elderly, and is limited to the eastern states of mainland Australia. It is named after a forest in northern Victoria on the Murray River. The infection spreads from one person to another by mosquito bites. Carriers, who have no symptoms, can donate the virus to a mosquito that bites them.
The symptoms include arthritis that moves from joint to joint, muscle aches and pains, fevers that come and go, headaches and sometimes a rash. The diagnosis can be confirmed by a specific blood test, but the doctor must think of this specific disease as a cause of the symptoms.
Medications (eg. pain-killers, anti-inflammatories) can be given to relieve symptoms, but there is no specific cure. Fortunately, there are no significant complications.
The symptoms settle with time and rest, but regular recurrences arc common.
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