FRANCAIS

August 23, 2002

• An additional 10 birds have been found with the West Nile virus in Manitoba bringing the total number of birds found in the province with the virus this year to 52. The birds were found in the following locations:
• RM of Portage la Prairie – crow
• Town of Portage la Prairie – crow
• Winnipeg – crow
• RM of Daly – magpie
• RM of Strathclair – crow
• Stonewall – crow
• Melita – crow
• Ninette – crow
• RM of Mossey River – crow (presumptive positive)
• RM of Victoria Beach – crow (presumptive positive)
• In Manitoba, West Nile virus has been found in geese, horses, sentinel chickens and mosquito pools.
• To date in Manitoba, 98 people have tested negative for West Nile virus.
• Surveillance shows that the virus has been found throughout most of southern Manitoba and supports the recommendation that Manitobans should continue to take steps to protect themselves and minimize the potential for mosquito bites. Even though there are fewer mosquitoes in the province right now, the above information indicates that some mosquitoes are carrying the virus. Manitobans can minimize mosquito bites by:

• fixing screens

• wearing protective clothing

• using mosquito repellent with DEET, and

• reducing the amount of time spent outdoors during peak mosquito hours at dawn and dusk.

• Additional mosquito surveillance is being put in place in rural Manitoba to support West Nile virus surveillance efforts.
• Manitobans can help by continuing to report dead birds only from the crow family which includes blue jays, ravens, magpies, grey jays and crows, particularly in eastern and northern Manitoba.
• Public information is available by calling Health Links at 788-8200 in Winnipeg or 1-888-315-9257 or checking the Manitoba Health Web site at http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/wnv.

- 30 -