Overview

• Queensland Health’s notifiable conditions report confirmed a second locally acquired infection in the Torres Strait Islands local government area this week.
• Ninety-seven percent of the 71 cases recorded so far have been linked to overseas travel, predominantly to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
• This year’s count of 71 infections more than doubles the five-year mean of 33 cases over the same period.
• Malaria is transmitted by infected female Anopheles mosquitoes and typically causes fever, headache and chills within 10 to 15 days of a bite.
• Authorities emphasize that malaria is both preventable and curable, urging residents to use protective measures against mosquito bites.