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5 Manitobans infected so far with West Nile

By: Larry Kusch

Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012 at 8:14 AM | Comments: 0

FIVE Manitobans are reported to have contracted West Nile virus this summer and authorities expect to confirm several more cases in coming weeks.

So far, nobody has become seriously ill from the disease. But the presence of the virus in Manitoba, measured by the number of traps containing infected mosquitoes, is the highest since 2007, when the disease was rampant in the province. That year, 587 people were diagnosed with West Nile, four of whom died.

Provincial health authorities are not facing an outbreak anywhere near that severe in 2012. But the number of diseased mosquitoes discovered in traps shot up high enough in late July around Portage la Prairie to warrant two rounds of fogging in the community earlier this month. The situation there has since stabilized.

Dr. Richard Rusk, a provincial medical officer of health, said since the incubation period for West Nile is as long as three weeks, he anticipates more Manitobans will be found infected as August draws to a close.

"We are expecting that we're going to have more positive cases," he said Wednesday. The province will update the situation on Friday, he said.

Of the five people infected so far, three are from the Winnipeg area. The other two live south and west of the city. Four of the five are male.

In the United States, West Nile has been making big news this summer, with Americans suffering their largest outbreak since the virus was first detected in the U.S. in 1999. As of Tuesday, 38 states had reported human infections, CNN reported Wednesday, quoting U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Rusk said with the days growing shorter and the nights cooler, mosquito activity is on the decline. But he advised Manitobans to continue taking precautions to avoid bites, including using repellent and reducing time spent outdoors during peak mosquito hours at dusk and dawn.

Rusk said the problem with the Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, the type that spreads West Nile, is people often don't feel their bite -- "these are little guys."

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, many people infected with West Nile have no symptoms and do not get sick or have only mild symptoms. When infection does cause illness, symptoms will usually appear within two to 15 days, the agency says.

In mild cases, there may be flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache and body aches. Some people may also develop a mild rash or swollen lymph glands. More serious effects can include meningitis and encephalitis.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

West Nile in Manitoba

Year ReportedNumber of traps containing

human casesinfected mosquitoes

2002015

2003143290

2004357

200558193

200651171

2007587948

20081241

200922

2010020

201100

20125*98*

*As of Aug. 17.; source: Manitoba Health

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