NSW Health is conducting blood tests to shine a light on the Japanese Encephalitis virus

Blood tests will be being conducted at the Griffith Community Centre between July 18 and 22 in an effort to identify whether the encephalitis remains in Griffith, after a few confirmed cases in recent months.

The virus, which is spread primarily through mosquitoes, which bite infected animals and spread the disease to humans. Pigs, and some waterbirds are known to be most likely to infect the disease, causing great concern to piggeries in the area.

In the Murrumbidgee, there have been eight confirmed cases - two of which have been fatal.

Gamu Shava from Murrumbidgee Local Health District's Public Health Unit will be running the clinic.

"This is a great opportunity for everyone to do something for your community. We'd love to see businesses encouraging their staff to come and visit us at the clinic before or after work, or during work time if activities allow," said Mr Shava.

"We can also come to you - if you are a business or community group with ten or more willing participants, we will arrange a time that suits for us to come and visit you."

READ MORE

A spokeswoman for NSW Health said that the tests were mainly to identify if the disease was still present.

"It's just to help us understand the problems in the area," she said.

"We know it's been around so this is just a study for public health. We just need to see if the disease is present within the community still."

The test is pretty simple, with volunteers simply donating a small blood sample and completing a five-minute questionnaire. NSW Health estimated that the test would take 15 minutes to complete from start to finish and individuals will be informed of their test results.

All who've lived in Griffith between January and March are eligible to participate in the testing, however children under 16 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Tests will be conducted in the Griffith Community Centre.

Businesses or community groups can register interest by contacting 0428 394 170.

More information on the virus is available at nswhealth.gov.au/jevirus.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: