The cities of Winnipeg and Brandon will now be providing additional adult mosquito surveillance, identification and other related services to help reduce the effects of the West Nile virus, Acting Health and Senior Care Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced Monday in a news release.
People can get WNV from mosquitoes and it can cause severe illness including swelling of the brain, long-term complications and death.
Goertzen noted that protecting yourself against WNV helps protect the health-care system, which continues to see significant admissions due to COVID-19.
Between 2012 and 2018, there were 112 cases of WNV in Manitoba and nearly 40 per cent of these individuals were hospitalized and 11 required intensive care.
Some people who get the virus, however, can show no symptoms and do not become ill, whereas others can show mild symptoms such as headache, fever, fatigue and body aches.
The risk of the virus varies from year to year based on precipitation, temperature, mosquito populations and other factors.
Goertzen said data will be reported weekly to the Manitoba government to assist in determining what public health steps need to be taken to reduce the risk of WNV.
The contracts are in place for the 2021 season. Funding for adult mosquito surveillance and identification in Brandon and Winnipeg is approximately $107,000, while the total value of the agreements is approximately $472,000.
“A key component to keeping Manitobans safe from West Nile virus is mosquito surveillance, which allows the risk to be assessed on a weekly basis during each season and ultimately guides the public health response,” Goertzen said.
“Deepening our partnership with the cities of Winnipeg and Brandon will provide much-needed data to inform our response and minimize the number of WNV human cases which can have long-term health impacts.”
The surveillance process involves trapping adult mosquitoes at various locations across the province, then that data is gathered and is used to assess seasonal trends in the mosquito numbers and WNV infection rates.
This process determines if the risk of exposure to the virus is significant enough to require mosquito control and/or targeted communications about the risk to the public.
“The scope of Winnipeg’s surveillance will now be expanded to include rural municipalities, on a cost-recovery basis, within a one-and-a-half-hour drive of Winnipeg. We are pleased to be able to more fully utilize city expertise to assist with West Nile Virus surveillance and contribute to minimizing health impacts for residents across the province,” said Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman.
Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest said the city “has been utilizing a Mosquito Abatement Program for many decades.”
“We’re pleased to be partnering with the province to ensure a concerted effort is made to reduce the possibility of mosquito populations and WNV,” Chrest added.
Learn more about symptoms and how to protect yourself on the province’s website.
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