Good Morning,
In efforts to keep your respective communities up to date with important news from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District we would like to pass along the accompanying press release that speaks to the detection of British Columbias first case of West Nile virus. This past weekend the British Columbia Center for Disease Control (BCCDC) confirmed two probable human cases of WNv in individuals from the Kelowna area.They have also detected WNv in a mosquito pool collected in the southern Okanagan.
Please feel free to contact our TNRD Mosquito Control Contractor Cheryl Phippen if you have any questions about mosquitoes or WNv. She can be contacted at 250-573-1750 or emailed at bwp@shaw.ca or people can leave messages on the mosquito advisory line at 250-372-5700. Environmental Health Services Supervisor, Dennis Labrie will also be available for any questions you may have. He can be contacted at 250-377-2592.
Thank you for your time and we will keep you all updated as we learn more.
Best Regards,
Martin Dickson | Environmental Services Technologist
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
Press Release
August 24, 2009
British Columbia’s First Human Case of West Nile Virus
The first West Nile virus (WNv) infected mosquito pool and the first human WNv cases in British Columbia were reported by the BC Centre for Disease Control this weekend. The positive mosquito pool was collected in the Southern Okanagan and two individuals from the Kelowna area are being investigated with possible infections. Since 1999, when WNv was first identified in North America, the virus has caused nearly 29,000 cases of human illness, including more than 1100 deaths. These are the first ever cases of WNv detected in British Columbia and the first cases reported so far this year in Canada.
WNv is spread seasonally through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The risk of serious illness from WNv is low; however simple measures can help prevent mosquito bites and reduce the numbers of mosquitoes in an area:
• Individuals should apply insect repellents containing DEET (10% for children and up to 30% for adults), wear loose, light colored clothing when outdoors including long-sleeved pants and shirts and avoid mosquito-laden areas at dawn and dusk.
• Tight fitting screens should be installed on doors and windows
• Individuals should eliminate or regularly change any sources of stagnant water around their properties as mosquito larvae will develop in the smallest pool of water. Likely mosquito breeding grounds include the saucers under flower pots, wading pools, used tires, and clogged eaves troughs.
Mosquitoes become infected with WNv when they feed on infected birds, and the virus may be transmitted when an infected mosquito bites a human. Humans cannot get the virus directly from birds nor can humans pass this virus from one person to the next. About two out of every 10 people bitten by an infected mosquito develop WNv symptoms such as fever, aches, nausea and vomiting. About 1 in 150 people infected with WNv develop more serious symptoms such as paralysis, extreme headache and, in rare cases, death. Although people of any age can become severely ill, the risk is highest for persons age 50 and over.
In 2009, the TNRD has been conducting a larval control program for WNv, with the goal of reducing the numbers of Culex species of mosquitoes within the TNRD as if WNv has already arrived in our area. We are confident that everything is being done to reduce the impact that West Nile virus may have on residents and visitors to our area. However, the public must be aware that personal protection using Deet is the best way to reduce the possibility of contracting WNv. Surveillance traps have been strategically placed within the TNRD to collect specimens and monitor for the presence of WnV.
A mosquito control contractor for the TNRD, BWP Consulting Inc, is currently monitoring stagnant water known to produce mosquito larvae. When larvae are present they are being treated with a biological larvicide that is harmless to other insects and animals. As it is late in the season, many known larval development sites have dried up and the contractor is reporting low numbers of larvae and adult mosquitoes throughout most of the TNRD.
The Interior Health Authority and the BC Centre for Disease Control are currently monitoring for the presence of the virus by collecting and testing mosquitoes and birds throughout the southern Okanagan and the southern Kootenay. People in the TNRD can report sightings of dead crows, ravens, magpies or jays by calling the Interior Health Authority West Nile Virus Information Line at 1-866-300-0520 or by accessing the BCCDC On-Line Dead Bird Sighting Report Form at http://westnile.bccdc.org/ .
For more information about WNv, mosquito control or our public education events, please visit http://www.tnrd.bc.ca/mosquito/tnrd_mosquito/index.php or call the TNRD Mosquito Advisory Line at 250-372-5700
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