Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
With a high risk of exposure to West Nile virus in southern Manitoba, the City of Brandon is prepared to fog if necessary.
The city received an order from Manitoba Health to prepare vehicles with fogging equipment last week.
“We just made sure that all of our equipment was on our trucks ready to go,” said Perry Roque, director of community services. “We have the chemical, everything’s ready. They haven’t done any order yet. Once they say, ‘Yes we need to spray’ then we’re set to go, but that hasn’t happened yet.
According to Manitoba Health, the recent hot and humid weather has created ideal conditions for Culex tarsalis mosquitoes and the transmission of the virus.
So far this summer, there have been 20 infected mosquitoes found, which includes two in Brandon.
“It’s certainly not high right now, so we don’t really need to be doing spraying or anything,” Roque said. “But we’re waiting to see this week what our counts are like, and then waiting to hear from the province … if we have to spray.”
Infected mosquitoes have been found in 14 communities, including Altona, Beausejour, Brandon, Carberry, Deloraine, Selkirk, Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, Ste. Anne, Stonewall, West St. Paul and Winnipeg.
In 2011, there were no positive mosquito samples identified.
As of Tuesday, Manitoba Health said an adult mosquito control program is not needed, however officials are continuing to monitor the situation.
The city will only spray malathion “when the province determines that there’s a health risk,” Roque explained.
“We don’t make the decision to spray (for West Nile), that’s a provincial decision,” Roque said.
Manitobans are encouraged to take precautions, such as reducing the amount of time spent outdoors during peak mosquito hours between dusk and dawn; use appropriate mosquito repellant; wear light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing; and maintain door and window screens so they fit tightly and are free of holes.
Two Winnipeggers tested positive for West Nile virus after they donated blood last week, according to Manitoba Health. Both donors are in their 40s and from the Winnipeg Health Region, Canadian Blood Services reported to Manitoba Health. They donated blood on July 26 and 27, and a blood-screening test showed they had the virus. Initial reports indicate that one of the individuals reported mild symptoms and the other had no symptoms.
Brandon’s nuisance mosquito count still remains low. As of July 22, the daily average was 138. Earlier this month that count was at 66. Both numbers are a far cry from a June 2010 count, when a trap near the Wheat City Golf Course recorded in excess of 2,000 mosquitoes.
People can reduce the number of mosquitoes around their home by eliminating standing water.
“If you’ve got any containers or anything that’s holding standing water, they should empty that out, because that’s a breeding ground for mosquitoes and we certainly don’t want that,” Roque said.
For updates on Manitoba’s West Nile count, visit gov.mb.ca/health/wnv.
» jaustin@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition August 1, 2012
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With a high risk of exposure to West Nile virus in southern Manitoba, the City of Brandon is prepared to fog if necessary.
The city received an order from Manitoba Health to prepare vehicles with fogging equipment last week.
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With a high risk of exposure to West Nile virus in southern Manitoba, the City of Brandon is prepared to fog if necessary.
The city received an order from Manitoba Health to prepare vehicles with fogging equipment last week.
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