A second case of West Nile virus has been confirmed in a matter of weeks as the Manitoba government plans to fog an area just north of Winnipeg that currently has high infection rates.
3 probable, 1 confirmed case detected in province thus far this summer
Bryce Hoye · CBC News
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Another probable case of West Nile virus has been detected as the Manitoba government plans to ramp up mosquito fogging in hot spot areas of the province.
The latest infection was reported this week in the Southern Health region, bringing the total number of reported human cases this year to four — one confirmed and three probable infections, the latest provincial update said on Friday.
The mosquito that transmits West Nile, Culex tarsalis, has been found in high numbers in the rural municipality of West St. Paul, where there's also evidence of high infection rates, the province said.
Fogging with DeltaGard 20EW is expected in West St. Paul this weekend.
Culex tarsalis mosquitoes were found in all 21 Manitoba communities where trapping occurs during the week of Aug. 9 to 15.
Though numbers of Culex tarsalis decreased across the board compared to the first week of August, provincial averages for the virus-carrying mosquito also remained higher than the historical average for the second week of August.
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There were 60 West Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes found in the second week of August across four health regions. They were found in Brandon and Boissevain in the Prairie Mountain Health region; Beausejour, Oakbank, Selkirk and Stonewall in the Interlake-Eastern health region; in Altona, Carman, Morris, Niverville, Portage la Prairie and Winkler in Southern Health; and in Winnipeg, East and West St. Paul in the Winnipeg health region.
Each of the four reported cases has so far resulted in less severe symptoms, the province says. None have developed the potentially more serious neurological illnesses that can come from a bite by an infected mosquito.
The province advises Manitobans to wear mosquito repellant and reduce time spent outdoors during peak mosquito times, like early in the morning and at dusk.
Light-coloured, loose-fitting pants and long-sleeve shirts are recommended to avoid getting bitten, as is ensuring screens on windows and doors don't have any holes in them.
Homeowners should ensure their eaves are unclogged and cleaned, and bird baths or other areas that might collect water are cleared regularly.
Rain barrels should have mosquito screening or be tightly covered.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryce Hoye is a multi-platform journalist with a background in wildlife biology. He has worked for CBC Manitoba for over a decade with stints producing at CBC's Quirks & Quarks and Front Burner. He was a 2024-25 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. He is also Prairie rep for outCBC. He has won a national Radio Television Digital News Association award for a 2017 feature on the history of the fur trade, and a 2023 Prairie region award for an audio documentary about a Chinese-Canadian father passing down his love for hockey to the next generation of Asian Canadians.
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