Toronto Public Health finds West Nile virus in five pools of mosquitoes
A number of mosquitoes in Toronto have tested positive for West Nile virus, the city’s health agency has confirmed.
In a news release published Monday, Toronto Public Health (TPH) said five pools of infected mosquitoes from Etobicoke, North York, and west Toronto are some of the first to test positive for the virus this year.
TPH said the risk to the public of getting infected is low.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Mosquito surveillance in the city is conducted annually and sees 22 traps placed throughout the city every week. The program runs from mid-June to mid-September and trapped mosquitoes are brought to a laboratory for identification and then grouped into pools to test for the virus, the agency said.
Last year, a total of 20 mosquito pools tested positive. In 2020, that number was 33.
Symptoms related to West Nile virus may include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph glands and usually develop between two and 14 days following infection.
TPH said that older individuals and those with compromised immune systems are at a higher risk of severe illness.
The agency has offered up a number of tips to protect yourself during the last few weeks of summer. Those include:
- Wear light-coloured clothing, long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors.
- Apply insect repellent containing DEET or icaridin and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Take extra care during peak mosquito-biting hours, dusk and dawn, by using repellent and covering up.
- Make sure your home has tight-fitting screens on windows and doors.
- Remove standing water from your property, where mosquitoes can breed. Standing water includes any water that collects in items such as pool covers, buckets, planters, toys and waste containers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.