The province announced Thursday that Manitoba Health’s mosquito surveillance program has identified this summer’s first Culex tarsalis mosquito samples infected with West Nile virus.
The province said no human cases have been identified this year.
The infected mosquitoes were collected from traps in July 1 in the Portage la Prairie and Sandy Bay First Nation areas, said the province.
Officials said the numbers of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, which can carry West Nile virus, increased throughout southern Manitoba the week of July 1, with the numbers highest in central and southwest Manitoba. The province said the potential for human exposure to infected mosquitoes is, however, present throughout all southern Manitoba, with the risk of exposure to West Nile virus expected to increase in coming weeks.
The province advised people take steps to guard against mosquitoes, including reducing standing water around homes, reducing the amount of time spent outside during peak mosquito hours between dusk and dawn, using mosquito repellent, wearing light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing and checking that door and window screens don’t have holes in them.
