Alberta residents are being asked to take precautions as the first case of West Nile Virus this year has been discovered in the province.
On Tuesday morning, Alberta Health Services announced that a case of West Nile had been discovered south of Calgary. The person infected was an adult female and Dr. David Strong, AHS Acting South Zone Medical Officer of Health, said the person has experienced non-neurological symptoms.
“She had not had any travel outside of Alberta so she was infected by a mosquito in Alberta,” he said.
West Nile has been non-existent in Alberta since 2010 and there has not been a case that was not travel related since 2009. It peaked in 2007 with 320 cases.
The virus has seen resurgence in North America. The US Centre of Disease Control has reported 1,118 human cases in 2012 and 41 deaths. This is the highest number since 1999, when West Nile was first detected in the US.
Dr. Strong said the conditions were favourable for mosquitoes.
“We had a very warm summer here, which is why there is an increased risk over last year,” he said.
“The risk is throughout the province, more so in the south but throughout the province.”
Rather than being reactive, Strong said the best policy is to continue to protect yourself.
“The focus today has been what it has always been, around the precautions that people can take to protect themselves,” said Strong. “Primarily we are talking about personal protection, the use of DEET products, wearing long sleeved, light coloured clothing, trying to avoid those times that mosquitoes are most active in the early morning and dust, and wearing a hat to protect the skin.”
He adds that another precaution to take beyond self protection is to limit areas that mosquitoes could breed, such as standing water.
“These are the same precautions we are always emphasizing every year,” he said.
Symptoms of non-neurological West Nile Virus can be everything from fatigue to muscle stiffness, fever, rash and sometimes gastro intestinal symptoms. Often those infected have no symptoms.
Neurological symptoms can be more serious. According to Alberta Health Services, a person with neurological syndrome may experience tremors, drowsiness, confusion, swallowing problems, high fever, unconsciousness, paralysis and even death.
“West Nile Virus infection can cause severe illness with debilitating, lifelong effects, particularly in older adults,” said Strong. “I urge all Albertans to continue to fight the bite.”
For more information on West Nile Virus and how to protect yourself go to www.fightthebite.ca.
