I believe you are referring to the Barmah Forest Virus in Western Australia.
This virus was first discovered in the Barmah Forest of Northern Victoria
(Australia) and only recently has been found in the Western part of
Australia. The first human cases appeared in 1992 as polyarthritis. This
is a mosquito-borne virus localized , thus far, to Australia. Perhaps our
Australian colleagues on the net can provide more information. Another
source is a recent publication in a new journal available from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. The journal is entitled Emerging
Infectious Diseases, published quarterly, and is available through the net.
If you have WWW access then use: http://www.cdc.gov or E-mail at
EIDEDITOR at CIDOD1.EM.CDC.GOV
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From: BIOSCI-REQUEST
To: microbiology
Subject: Australian hemorragic viral disease
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 1995 9:05PM
Recently in the popular press, there have been stories about a mysterious
virus
in Australia that killed a number of horses and a human. From accounts in
the
local newspapers in Texas, this virus was related to canine distemper and
measles. Does anyone have any information on this virus?
Bob McLean
Assistant Professor
Dept. Biology
Southwest Texas State University
San Marcos, TX 78666
Email: RM12 at swt.edu
