A spokesperson with Southern Health-Santé Sud says officials are amping up safety precautions following the discovery of West Nile infected Culex Tarsalis mosquitoes in the region. Last week the Manitoba Mosquito Surveillance Program identified this season’s first samples infected with the virus, collected from adult mosquito traps in Winkler, Altona, and West St. Paul.

Dr. Shelley Buchan says the provincial surveillance program monitors populations for two things - the type of mosquito that's in the traps and if those mosquitoes are infected with West Nile.

"We monitor those, we start in the early part of the summer, and we continue to monitor until the early fall. It helps give a flag for us to be able to then say to the public 'Now we're starting to see infected mosquitoes, the risk is happening, protect yourself."

 

 

Despite samples of adult mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus in some communities in the RHA , no towns will be changing their course of action in the fight against the insect. Both communities have been actively involved in larviciding measures and Altona has been fogging for nuisance mosquitoes on an as-needed basis throughout the summer. Increased measures, like mandatory fogging regardless of buffer zones, will not be taken until ordered by Manitoba Health.
    
Dr. Buchan says the order is only made when there is a risk to human health.

"There is a calculation that's done that takes into a variety of things like population and the amount of West Nile activity that's out there, and at this point that calculation hasn't reached that threshold to say that there is enough risk that a case is actually going to occur."

She points out there have been some years where that threshold has been met and orders for mandatory fogging orders were given, but notes fortunately there hasn't been a lot of West Nile activity since about 2013/14.

No human cases of West Nile Virus have been detected in Manitoba so far this summer.

Buchan adds 80 per cent of people who become infected with West Nile don't even know they've been exposed because their body has dealt with the virus on its own. The remaining 20 per cent will experience mild symptoms like headache and rash, while less than 1 per cent of people will develop more serious side affects that lead to neurological problems.