The danger of people contracting the illness remains minimal, according to the medical officer of health, but Toronto Public Health (TPH) has issued a caution after a batch of mosquitoes in northwest Scarborough tested positive for West Nile virus. The city’s first mosquitoes to test positive for the virus this year are those ones.
TPH undertakes annual mosquito surveillance from the middle of June until the middle of September.
According to a news release sent on Tuesday, more than 20 traps are put each week to catch mosquitoes and then analyze them in a lab to determine whether insects have the virus.
Although TPH was unable to estimate the number of infected mosquitoes, it claims that humans are not likely to contract the virus.
According to Dr. Eileen de Villa, the medical officer of health for Toronto, “the risk of contracting West Nile virus continues to be low in Toronto.” “However, there are several straightforward actions that locals may do to further lower their risk while having a good time this summer.
“These steps include using tight-fitting screens on windows and doors to prevent mosquitoes from entering the home, removing standing water where mosquitoes can breed, and wearing insect repellent and light-colored clothing to protect against bites by infected mosquitoes.”
West Nile virus symptoms, which include fever, headache, body aching, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, and swollen lymph nodes, often appear two to 14 days after being bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus.
