Arboviruses of Oceania

Arboviruses present an ongoing challenge to Oceanic nations. Viruses including Ross River, Barmah Forest and Murray Valley encephalitis are endemic to the region and are responsible for occasional outbreaks. Recent epidemics of chikungunya, Zika and dengue viruses across many nations demonstrate the vulnerability of this region to globally emergent arboviruses. In addition to global disease trends, the emergence of these viruses is largely driven by human influences such as water and waste management, air travel and land use. Limited public health resources and infrastructure, dispersed populations and the complexity of arbovirus ecologies complicate mitigation and management strategies in the Western Pacific. A regional collaborative approach augments the surveillance and response capability of individual nations, but the challenge of managing arbovirus risk with limited resources remains. In the absence of specific disease treatments and feasible vaccination solutions, mosquito control and personal protective measures are the mainstay of management programmes, albeit with variable success. In the long term, the development and integration of novel surveillance, diagnostic and mosquito control technologies will improve the capacity to prevent and respond to arbovirus threats