July 14, 2005
Manitoba’s mosquito surveillance program has identified the first Culex tarsalis West Nile virus (WNV) positive mosquito collections in Manitoba in 2005.
Samples collected during the week of July 10 from East Kildonan in the city of Winnipeg and the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul indicate a small proportion of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes are infected at this time. Large numbers of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes have been found in the traps in these areas. At this time, Public Health is recommending adult mosquito control for West Nile virus in these areas.
Preliminary information from traps this week indicate the number of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes in most communities across southern Manitoba have substantially increased, with Culex tarsalis making up about 20 to 40 per cent of the mosquitoes in many traps.
As the province enters the later part of July, and with the identification of increasing numbers of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes and infected mosquito samples, the risk of human exposure to WNV in Manitoba is rising. This risk will continue to increase over the summer. It is anticipated that WNV will continue to be detected in mosquito samples from additional communities in the coming weeks. Testing of mosquitoes for West Nile virus is ongoing at the Cadham Provincial Laboratory.
At this time, it is important to take personal protective precautions against mosquitoes and reduce standing water around your home. Manitobans can reduce the risk of mosquito bites by:
reducing the amount of time spent outdoors during peak mosquito hours between dusk and dawn,
using appropriate mosquito repellent, and
wearing light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing.
At this time, no human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) have been identified in Manitoba in 2005.
Manitobans can reduce the number of Culex mosquitoes around their home by emptying standing water that may collect in backyards, old tires, children's toys, pet bowls, wading pools, stagnant ponds or under flower pots.
Weekly average trap counts of Culex tarsalis by regional health authority are available on the province’s West Nile virus website at http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/wnv.
Public information about West Nile virus is available by calling Health Links-Info Santé at 788‑8200 in Winnipeg or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257. Additional information is available on the Manitoba Health website at http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/wnv, which is updated weekly with surveillance data.
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