The six cases have been located in the shires of Loddon, Campaspe, Wangaratta, Gannawarra, Greater Shepparton and Greater Bendigo.
The mosquito-borne disease has also been confirmed in piggeries in NSW and Queensland and there are at least eight suspected human cases in Victoria.
Agriculture Victoria has established an incident management team to conduct surveillance activities and to provide advice to farmers.
Chief Veterinary Officer Graeme Cooke said since the announcement of the first positive Japanese encephalitis detection more than a week ago, a number of Victorian farmers had made contact with Agriculture Victoria and submitted samples for testing.
“Japanese encephalitis virus causes reproductive failure in pigs, primarily through stillbirths and piglets that may show signs of central nervous system disease,” Dr Cooke said.
“Japanese encephalitis can be transmitted to humans through infected mosquitoes and in rare cases can cause encephalitis — a central nervous system disease which can be life threatening — so we are working closely with the Department of Health to understand the implications and to communicate to farmers how they can reduce the risk of human exposure.
“Infection is not spread directly from pigs to people and there is no risk to humans from eating pig meat.”
Agriculture Victoria said horse owners should take steps to protect their horses as they were also susceptible to Japanese encephalitis if bitten by infected mosquitoes.
In horses, symptoms include lethargy, nervous signs or sometimes hyper-excitability. To date there have been no confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis in horses in Australia.
“Horse owners are encouraged to reduce mosquito breeding grounds near their horses to reduce the chances of them being bitten,” Dr Cooke said.
“Stabling at night, the use of a light cotton rug and fly mask and application of a safe insect repellent may also help.”
Japanese encephalitis is a notifiable disease under the Livestock Disease Control Act.
Anyone who thinks their animals have the virus should call their vet or the national Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.
Anyone working, living or visiting towns or camping areas along the Murray river is also urged to protect themselves against mosquitoes.
Most people who contract the virus will have no or very mild symptoms and fully recover but anyone who develops a sudden onset of fever, headache, vomiting as well as seizures or disorientation should see urgent medical attention.
For more information, visit: agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/animal-diseases/horse-diseases/japanese-encephalitis-virus-jev
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