No human cases of West Nile Virus in Peel

July 31, 2013 · 0 Comments

The surveillance program against West Nile Virus in Peel continues, with no human cases reported yet.
Peel Region reports there have been only three positive test results for mosquito pools, as of July 20.
One of these positive pools was found in Brampton (in the area of Queen Street and Kennedy Road), and the other two were in Mississauga.
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 July 20, 203 mosquito batches had been tested and three tested positive. As well, Peel Public Health received 28 stagnant water reports from residents in the seven days leading up to the report.
The mosquito larviciding program started May 30 and will continue until Sept. 30. Larviciding involves applying environmentally-friendly products to reduce mosquito larvae living in stagnant water. The products are applied to municipal catch basins and selected sites on public property.
The second round of larviciding began in south Mississauga July 17 and crews are continuing to work. The second round is indicated by a white dot on the catch basin grate. It takes three weeks to complete a round of larviciding, and there will be three this year.
Larviciding of catch basins in the green spaces of parks in Peel 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
To date in Ontario, there are 12 WNV-positive mosquito batches: three in Peel, and one in each of Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, Middlesex London, Niagara, Perth District, Toronto and Windsor-Essex. There has also been one positive batch found in Manitoba and another in Saskatchewan. There have bee no human cases of WNV reported anywhere in Canada.
To date, there have been 23 human cases of WNV in the United States: six in Mississippi, five in Nevada, four in South Dakota, two in each of Iowa and Texas, and one in each of Arizona, California, Colorado and Tennessee.
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