The emergency response to Japanese encephalitis virus is being handed back to the states

A dubious upside to the official acceptance the mosquito-borne virus is now considered here to stay is for live animal imports.

Where once imported animals like horses were held in quarantine for 21 days before arrival because of JEV fears, the government is now recommending this restriction be dropped.

Since 2021, 45 people have been infected with JEV in Australia with seven deaths recorded.

Authorities say there have been no new human cases identified in Australia since late last year.

More than 50 piggeries were infected in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and NSW during the outbreak.

Many states provided a community-wide vaccination rollout against JEV in local government areas deemed to be at risk.

Biosecurity officials say JEV is no longer a communicable disease incident of national significance and Australia's response to the outbreak is decreasing, with states and territories charged to continue managing any ongoing risk.

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JEV cases have been recorded in Queensland, NSW, South Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory.

Government advice states: "While the epidemiology of JEV in Australia is yet to be fully understood, it is not considered practicable to eradicate JEV from Australia due to detections across a wide geographical area, transmission by mosquito vectors and the likelihood of wildlife reservoirs in which transmission could persist."

Those wildlife reservoirs include feral pig populations in the north where JEV cases were found in 2022.

"The recent geographic expansion of JEV in to and within Australia is not yet understood but may have been facilitated by climatic conditions favourable for mosquito populations and an abundance of temporary wetlands supporting the movement and distribution of JEV infected wading birds," the government says.

While there has been no confirmed clinical cases of JEV in horses in Australia, evidence has been found of JEV exposure in horses through blood tests.

Like humans, horses are considered dead-end hosts of the virus, unlike pigs which are said to amplify JEV.

No JEV vaccine is currently approved in Australia for general use in horses.

In light of the virus now being considered impossible to eradicate from Australia, the federal Agriculture Department has released updated biosecurity advice for horse imports.

A risk review recommends removing the current risk management measures for JEV in horses exported to Australia from approved countries.

The public is invited to comment on the draft review through the department's website by August 21.

The draft report recommends removing the current import conditions relevant to JEV for horses.

There is a flip-side to the policy as well with importers of horses from Australia now demanding JEV-free status.

Sales of Australian horses, an industry estimated to be worth more than a $100 million annually, have been hit by new requirements from foreign buyers.

Authorities this week revealed there are at least 12 of our markets which have import requirements for host countries with JEV.