Probable human case of WNV in Mississauga

August 23, 2013 · 0 Comments

Peel Public Health is reporting a probable human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Mississauga.
This was contained in the latest report on the disease from the health department, released Friday afternoon and covering the week ending Aug 17.
Confirmation of this case was pending laboratory testing. It would be the first case in Peel this year.
The report stated there were seven mosquito pools that tested positive for WNV over the week — five in Brampton and two in Mississauga. That brought the total for the year in Peel to 23. Only one of those pools was in Caledon. It was in Bolton and the positive result was reported late in July.
To date, there have been three confirmed and eight probable human cases of WNV in Ontario. Those are the only such cases reported in Canada. Two of the confirmed cases were in Niagara Region and the other was in Toronto. In addition to the probable case in Peel, there have been two in Niagara, and one in each of Chatham-Kent, Halton, Huron County, Middlesex London and Toronto.
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. To date, 625 mosquito batches have been tested and 23 tested positive.
The health department received 11 stagnant water reports from residents during the week in question.
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 third and final round of larviciding began in south Mississauga Aug. 9. The third round is indicated by a pink dot on the catch basin grate. It takes three weeks to complete a round of larviciding.
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