WNV-positive pool found in Mississauga

July 27, 2017 · 0 Comments

Peel Public Health reports another mosquito pool in Mississauga tested posi- tive last week for West Nile Virus (WNV).

That makes three pools that have test- ed positive in Peel so far this year. There have been two in Mississauga and one in Brampton. There have been no positive results from any pools in Caledon.

The adult mosquito surveillance pro- gram started June 18. Adult mosquitoes are collected weekly from mosquito traps at 33 fixed locations throughout the re- gion until late September. To date, 138 mosquito batches have been tested for WNV.

There have been no human cases of WNV reported in Peel.

To date, there have been eight WNV-pos- itive mosquito batches found in Ontario, which were in Halton, Haliburton-Kawar- tha-Pine Ridge, Peel, Toronto, Sim- coe-Muskoka and Windsor-Essex County. There have been no human cases of WNV illness reported in Ontario, or anywhere in Canada. There have been positive mosqui- to batches found in Manitoba.

The larviciding program in Peel started June 1 and will continue until Sept. 30. Larviciding involves applying environ- mentally-friendly products to reduce mos- quito larvae in stagnant water.

The first round of roadside catch basin larviciding is complete, and the second round is ongoing. The first round is indicated by a blue dot on the catch basin grate and the second round is indicated by a green dot. It takes at least three weeks to complete a round of larviciding. There will be three rounds of roadside catch ba- sin larviciding this year.

Larviciding of catch basins in the green spaces of parks in Peel has been complet- ed. The treatment of surface water sites on public lands is ongoing.

Residents are advised to reduce the risk of WNV by removing stagnant water on their property, by emptying or disposing of containers that can hold water, such as old tires, wheelbarrows, barrels, pails, toys and recycling bins; and turning over wading pools, removing water that col- lects on pool covers and making sure the pool’s pump is circulating

There are also steps to be taken to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

• Avoiding areas with large numbers of mosquitoes.

• Wearing light-coloured clothing, includ- ing long sleeves, long pants, socks and a hat whenever you are outdoors (even when you are in your backyard), especial- ly at dusk and at dawn.

• Use an insect repellent and apply it ac- cording to the manufacturer’s directions. For more tips, visit www.peel-bugbite. ca