A man is recuperating in hospital after picking up Japanese encephalitis (JE) while camping in the region. This is the first recorded case in the area for the summer.

NSW health executive director of health protection Dr Jeremy McAnulty said the man probably caught the disease in late December to early January.

This case, along with recent discoveries in pigs and mosquitos in NSW and discoveries in Victoria and Queensland, highlights the need to be extra careful about the danger of contracting this harmful illness.

JE spreads after a mozzie bites an animal who has the disease, like as a pig or water fowl, and then bites a person.

Signs of JE can include high temperature, headaches and nausea.

In extreme cases JE can cause shakes, delirium, seizures and incapacitation.

Humans cannot spread the disease to other humans and cannot pick it up from eating animal products or touching infected animals.

A safe and free vaccine for JE can be given through your doctor through pharmacists.

Other pre-emptive actions to take are puting on repellent, wearing long and light loose-fitting clothing and using fly screens at home and when camping.