Health officials remind travellers to get vaccinated.

Health officials remind travellers to get vaccinated. Image by ZaldyImg / CC BY 2.0

Australian health officials are reminding travellers to get vaccinated before going overseas after a Melbourne man contracted the rare and potentially fatal virus, Japanese encephalitis while on holiday in Bali. Up to half of people infected are left with permanent neurological or psychiatric damage, ranging from paralysis, recurrent seizures to the inability to speak. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes but there are effective vaccines available to prevent Japanese encephalitis. Read more: perthnow.com.au