West Nile virus detected in Waterloo region for 1st time this year. Here's how to protect yourself
Region continues to monitor the virus by using light mosquito traps and a larvicide program
The Region of Waterloo announced July 29 that one pool of mosquitoes has tested positive for West Nile virus in the City of Waterloo.
This was found through the region's adult mosquito surveillance program which has been in use since 2002, when the first case of West Nile was ever detected locally.
Gabriel Moussa says a big part of the program includes the distribution of 16 mosquito light traps around the region.
"Most of them are in urban settings but we do have some in rural settings," explained Mouusa, public health inspector team lead with the Region of Waterloo.
"It consists of a UV light, a battery that's attached to it, a fan and a net that actually catches the mosquitoes."
At the top of the trap there is a canister that dry ice is placed in, mimicking carbon dioxide which attracts the insects.
Another approach to mosquito larval surveillance the region is using is larvicide. This has been generating a buzz on social media, because local residents have noticed the workers riding around on scooters.
"Pestalto Environmental Health Services is the ones that are actually on the scooters and they're the ones going out and checking the catch basins. They'll go around, monitor the catch basins and actually provide larval treatments or larvicide to the catch basins," said Moussa.
LISTEN | West Nile virus detected in Waterloo region for 1st time this year
Although there haven't been any human cases of West Nile reported, Moussa adds that taking personal protective measures is always encouraged.
"If you're going to be outside for long periods of time, wear light-coloured clothing, long clothing, closed-toed shoes and socks if you can. Also avoid being outside as much as you can at dusk or dawn when mosquitoes are most active."
Anyone infected by the virus could experience mild flu-like symptoms, if any at all.
West Nile virus can also be identified through dead birds so anyone concerned by a cluster of dead birds on their property can contact the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre.
More mosquitoes than usual?
Residents may believe they've been shooing or swatting away the pesky bugs more than usual, but experts say it's probably just in your head.
"Our memories are fallible. We tend to remember bad things better than we remember good things and mosquitoes are never, in people's minds, a good thing," said Brad Fedy, associate professor at the University of Waterloo.
That being said, Fedy notes weather plays a big part in the prevalence of the mosquito population.
He says shorter or milder winters will cause an increase in the amount of bugs. The amount of rain southwestern Ontario has received over the past couple months also adds to how many mosquitoes are flying around.
"As more water is available on the landscape for them to breed in, they'll breed in it. As long as those puddles stick around long enough for females to find them to lay their eggs, for the pupa to develop and then emerge as adults, which can take only a week or two," Fedy explained.
He says breeding also takes place all summer because they don't live very long.
The average mosquito can live for months as eggs but only one and a half to two months with a mean of six weeks survival for adult females.
When asked the pros and cons of having mosquitos around, Fedy says the negatives far outweigh the positives.
"Mosquitoes are the most deadly animal in the world, hands down. Exponentially more dangerous than any other animal because of the disease transmission they facilitate," said Fedy.
"In terms of ecology, they are incredibly adaptable and globally distributed for the most part. They teach us a lot about evolution."
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