West Nile found in mosquitos in Ontario

Brian Williams,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A week after Middlesex-London Health Unit confirmed several mosquitoes had tested positive for West Nile Virus in London-area traps, a regional unit says a bloodsucker was confirmed to carry the illness.

Southwestern Public Health – the regional health unit for Oxford and Elgin counties and St. Thomas – has traps set up across the region and confirmed on Monday a mosquito trapped near Aylmer was the first to test positive for the virus this year.

“Most people who become infected with West Nile Virus do not feel sick, and those who do usually experience mild flu-like symptoms,” said Southwestern Public Health’s manager of environmental health, Amy Pavletic, in an email to The Free Press.

West Nile virus is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito.

Like the Middlesex-London Health Unit, Southwestern Public Health recommends removing standing water to reduce breeding environments, such as changing the water in bird baths, keeping pool pumps circulating and installing screens to cover the openings of rain barrels. The health unit also suggests DEET-based repellents to prevent mosquito bites and wearing light-coloured clothing with long sleeves, pants and socks where mosquitoes are present.

Although the mosquito trapped in Aylmer was Southwestern Public Health’s first confirmed carrier of West Nile virus, three have tested positive in the London area.

As previously reported by The Free Press, Middlesex-London Health Unit’s vector-borne disease co-ordinator, Jeremy Hogeveen, said in a release that “a lot of rainfall this summer” is contributing to “more mosquitoes in certain areas.”

Most people infected with West Nile don’t become ill, but some will experience flu-like symptoms like fever, headaches and body aches, while a small percentage become seriously sick.

Southwestern Public Health recommends contacting your primary care provider if you exhibit flu-like symptoms after being bitten by a mosquito.

AVOIDING WEST NILE VIRUS

• Wear light-coloured clothing, including shirts with long sleeves, pants and socks, in areas where mosquitoes are present, especially at dusk and dawn when they’re most active
• Use insect repellent with DEET following manufacturer’s directions
• Fix holes in window and door screens
• Regularly empty standing water from garbage cans, wheelbarrows, toys, flowerpots and saucers, pool covers, tires, and other items around your home and yard
• Clean and change water in birdbaths every other day
• Ensure swimming pools are closed and opened properly
• Cover openings in rain barrels

Brian Williams,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
London Free Press