Queenslanders are being warned to brace for a surge in mosquito-borne diseases as travel returns to pre-pandemic levels.
There has been a significant spike in dengue and malaria cases across the state, according to Queensland Health.
Since January, there has been 30 cases of dengue and 17 cases of malaria that been reported.
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It's a significant spike from the past two years, when international borders were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, there were just 16 cases of malaria reported in the year, compared to 112 cases in 2018.
It's expected cases will surpass last year's number of 58.
There was also a sharp increase in the deadly dengue.
In 2020, there were 53 cases, compared to just one in 2021. Cases are also expected to peak above last year's number of 58.
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More than 200 million people are diagnosed with malaria each year, mostly in Africa and southeast Asia.
Malaria is caused by a parasite which is spread through the bite of particular types of mosquito.
Dengue is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus, transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes.
The blood-sucking insets are considered to the world's deadliest creature, and are estimated to cause between 750,000 - one million deaths every year.
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