FRANCAIS
September 26, 2002
WEST NILE VIRUS UPDATE #28
Ten more birds have tested positive for West Nile virus:
Winnipeg (6 crows, 1 blue jay)
Killarney (1 crow)
Morris (1 crow)
RM of St. Clements (1 blue jay)
Thirteen more horses have been confirmed positive for West Nile virus:
RM of Springfield(2)
RM of Rosedale
RM of Morton(2)
RM of Lorne(2)
RM of Hanover
RM of Dufferin
RM of Whitehead
RM of Dauphin
RM of Coldwell
RM of Stanley
The total number of confirmed positive horses in Manitoba is 99.*
The total number of confirmed positive birds from the crow family is 88.
There have been no human cases of West Nile virus diagnosed in Manitoba.
The risk of illness for any individual remains low and is diminishing as the weather gets colder. New populations of mosquitoes are less likely to be infected at this time of year.
The province’s summer bird surveillance program will come to an end on Friday, Sept. 27. In June, Manitobans were asked to assist with the efforts to track West Nile virus by reporting sightings of dead birds to the province’s Health Links. As of Sept. 22, a total of 2,585 calls regarding birds were received by Health Links resulting in 804 birds referred for pickup, of which 470 were sent for testing and 88 have tested positive. More positive bird results may still be reported in the next few weeks as birds in the system currently are tested. The program was undertaken by Manitoba Health, Manitoba Agriculture and Food, Manitoba Conservation, the City of Winnipeg, the Canadian Co-operative Wildlife Health Centre, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada. The Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health wishes to thank all those Manitobans who participated in the surveillance program.
Surveillance of West Nile virus in horses will continue until mid-October.
Surveillance of West Nile virus in humans will continue.
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.
* 10 horses were counted twice and have been removed from the data
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