The Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU) is advising residents to take proactive steps to prevent bug bites after two mosquito traps tested positive for West Nile virus.
The health unit confirmed the positive test on Tuesday and said in a statement that the traps were located in northwest and northeast London and were the first to be found with mosquitoes positive for West Nile in the region this year.
“With the considerable rainfall this summer, leading to escalated mosquito breeding and elevated populations in certain areas, it is important to exercise caution and ensure the safety of both yourself and your loved ones against mosquito bites,” said Andrew Powell, manager of safe water, rabies and vector-borne disease with the MLHU.
On Friday, health officials with Toronto Public Health (TPH) reported the first probable human case of West Nile virus in Toronto in 2023.
Also, last week, a mosquito trap in Aylmer, Ont., tested positive for the mosquito-borne disease. Earlier this year, the Southwestern Public Health Unit (SWPH) confirmed that a bird in the region had tested positive for West Nile virus a week before regular seasonal surveillance began.
However, health officials said around 80 per cent of people who become infected with the virus do not get sick. Those who do usually experience mild flu-like symptoms, while fewer than one per cent get seriously ill.
According to MLHU, the health unit has been conducting weekly mosquito monitoring at 23 trapping sites since the beginning of May and has conducted 451 treatments at 185 surface water locations on public property in London and Middlesex County.
The health unit added that its vector-borne disease team is currently on the “third round of catch basin treatment where approximately 35,000 catch basins are treated per round.”
The 17-week-long sampling study will continue through September.
Powell advises residents to “wear an insect repellant that contains DEET, cover exposed skin with light-coloured clothing, and try to avoid the outdoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.”
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