No cases yet this year of West Nile Virus in Peel or Canada

July 11, 2013 · 0 Comments

As of the end of last week, there have been no confirmed cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Peel.
Peel Public Health reports the adult mosquito surveillance program started June 10. Adult mosquitoes are being collected weekly from mosquito traps at 31 fixed locations throughout the region until late September. As of Saturday (July 6), 194 mosquito batches have been tested and the results were all negative.
The health department received 12 stagnant water reports from Peel residents last week. There are no human cases of WNV reported in Peel.
The larviciding program started May 30 and will continue until Sept. 30. Larviciding involves applying environmentally-friendly products to reduce mosquito larvae (immature mosquitoes) living in stagnant water. The products are applied to municipal catch basins and selected sites on public property.
The first round of larviciding began in south Mississauga June 19. Mississauga has been completed with the exception of areas where catch basin vacuuming is being undertaken by the municipality. The larviciding crews are currently working in Brampton. The first round will be indicated by a blue dot on the catch basin grate. It takes three weeks to complete a round of larviciding. There will be three rounds of roadside catch basin larviciding this year.
Larviciding of catch basins in the green spaces of parks has started. The treatment of surface water sites on public lands is ongoing.
Residents can help reduce the number of mosquitoes around their homes by eliminating stagnant water on the property, and by following these tips:
• Empty or dispose of containers that can hold water, such as old tires, wheelbarrows, barrels, pails, toys and recycling bins.
• Turn over wading pools when they are not in use, remove water that collects on pool covers and make sure the pool’s pump is circulating.
• Change water in birdbaths weekly.
• Clear leaves and twigs from eavestroughs.
For more tips, visit www.peel-bugbite.ca.
WNV in Ontario
To date, there are two WNV-positive mosquito batches in ontario: one in Durham and one in Hamilton.
There have been no human cases of WNV illness reported in Ontario or in Canada.
To date, there have been 10 human cases of WNV in the United States: five in Mississippi, two in Texas and one in each of California, South Dakota and Tennessee.
For more information about WNV and the Region’s prevention plan, call 905-584-2216, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
The Region will continue to provide information on Lyme disease and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) at www.peel-bugbite.ca
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care also has information about Lyme disease on their website, www.ontario.ca/lyme