Posted on 07/13/2002 3:22:23 AM PDT by Clive
WINNIPEG -- Manitoba health officials believe they have found a case of West Nile virus in a dead crow from Winnipeg -- the first time the virus has been detected west of Ontario -- while two cases were confirmed in Quebec as well.
"Last year . . . in Ontario there were over 100 birds confirmed with West Nile so we anticipated this was going to happen," Health Minister Dave Chomiak said Friday.
"That's why we've had a surveillance system in effect for several years."
Late Friday, Chomiak issued a news release saying he had decided to authorize additional mosquito fogging as a preventive measure. He also urged Manitobans to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants while outside and to consider wearing mosquito repellent containing DEET.
He stressed that DEET is not recommended for children under the age of six months.
The City of Winnipeg started fogging for mosquitoes earlier this year when numbers increased sharply because of heavy rain.
Meanwhile, two birds with West Nile virus found in Montreal last month are thought to be the first cases of the virus in Quebec, health officials there said.
Friday's announcements follow by just one day news of a horse in North Dakota that tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus.
Confirmation of preliminary tests results in both the Manitoba and North Dakota cases are expected within days from the Canadian Centre for Human and Animal Health in Winnipeg and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
Dr. Susan Roberecki, Manitoba's deputy chief medical health officer, said the discovery of one dead bird is no cause for alarm.
"Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito will not get sick," she said.
"Only in very rare cases will this cause any serious illness."
Birds, especially crows and jays, can carry the virus. Roberecki said people should report any dead birds they find but not touch them, although there is no evidence the illness can be passed from a dead bird.
Dr. Terry Tannenbaum, a Montreal public health official, agreed the risks to people are slim.
"The recommendation to the public is to use what we would consider common-sense measures to help reduce the number of mosquitoes and to prevent themselves from getting bitten," Tannenbaum said.
"These include things like making sure you don't have areas of stagnant water around your house, making sure the mosquito screens around your houses are in good condition."
There have been 150 confirmed human cases of West Nile Virus in the United States where the virus first appeared in North America in 1999. There have been 18 fatalities.
This week, three men in Louisiana were hospitalized with the virus, the first human cases reported in the U.S. this year.
The only documented case of a Canadian with West Nile involved someone who got it while in New York in 1999.
Mild symptoms include fever, headaches, body aches, swollen lymph glands and a rash. More severe cases involve high fever, disorientation and paralysis.
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