Charmaine Manuel

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel

Victoria's health department has confirmed a second human case of Japanese encephalitis has been recorded in a person from northern Victoria. Authorities said the resident was likely exposed in the Riverina region of New South Wales along the Murray River. The latest Victorian detection follows a confirmed case of the virus in a man from Katunga in northern Victoria in December which prompted a spate of health warnings earlier this year.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Erin Somerville |Charmaine Manuel |Sandra Moon

Health services already affected by hot weather are warning residents about the dangers of heat-related illness as scorching conditions move across south-east Australia. The Bureau of Metrology (BOM) has issued severe heatwave warnings for South Australia, Victoria and NSW border regions.  The BOM is forecasting above-average temperatures well into next week, with maximums in the high 30s to low 40s.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Callum Marshall |Emma Field |Charmaine Manuel

More than 100 workers at a Victorian tomato glasshouse have been indefinitely stood down after a devastating tomato virus hit the business. Agriculture Victoria revealed on January 17 that quarantine controls were put in place at Katunga Fresh in the state's north-east after tomato brown rugose fruit virus was found. The virus spread from South Australia, where it was first detected five months ago.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel

While Australia has a strong culture of life-guarding at beaches and pools, groups like Life Saving Victoria are calling for similar measures at popular inland waterways. Nearly one-third of fatal drownings in Victoria were at inland waters according to Life Saving Victoria 2023–2024 data. Programs like Bush Nippers are hoping to train the next generation to be more aware of water hazards in communities that live close to the river.

Jan 23, 2025 | abc.net.au | Charmaine Manuel |Kristian Silva

A Melbourne man who caused a horrific crash that claimed the lives of five people in northern Victoria has been sentenced to more than five years behind bars. Christopher Dillon Joannidis, 30, was behind the wheel of a Mercedes Benz that crashed into a ute, sending it into the path of a milk tanker at Strathmerton in April 2023. Debbie Markey, 62, and overseas workers Pin-Yu Wang, Hsin-Yu Chen, Wai-Yan Lam and Zih-Yao Chen, who were from Hong Kong and Taiwan, were killed in the smash.