HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-08-28, Page 19Wednesday, August 28, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance I4
West Nile hard to detect, hard to confirm
Gerard Creces
OMI Agency
While Huron County reported its
first probable case of West Nile Virus
at the start of this month, there is a
catch 22 when it comes to confirming
and reporting the disease in humans.
For confidentiality reasons, the sta-
tus of the infected person can't be
made public. And because the health
unit relies on self -reporting, it is up to
the individual to complete the blood
work required to confirm the virus.
Public Health Inspector Colleen
Ryan said most people won't go in for
the extra blood work if they are already
feeling well again.
"You need that other round of blood
work," she said of confirming a case of
West Nile. "But because they got better
on their own they may not go through
with testing."
Likening it to a food -borne illness, if
people don't provide stool samples,
the cause and type go unknown -
especially if the person gets over it
quickly.
The virus first appeared in Canada
in birds in 2001, and the first human
case was reported the following year.
At the time, dead birds were being
picked up and tested in order to deter-
mine if they had the disease, which is
spread by mosquitoes. The last local
test for birds was in 2008. Crows and
blue jays were the most commonly
tested birds.
"At the health unit, we don't test
birds anymore," said Ryan. "We know it
is in the bird population. We just con-
tinue with mosquito surveillance."
'There are six traps set up across the
county, which are checked each week.
Mosquitoes are sent to a laboratory in
Toronto for testing, though there have
been no positive pools reported in the
county this year.
The traps are "kind of a weird con-
traption; Ryan noted. 'they involve dry
ice, UV Tight and a fan system to attract
and contain the insects.
Tests run from June to the end of
September, and Ryan said it is usually
about this time of year that the health
unit starts to see cases of West Nile.
Symptoms include soreness, swollen
glands and other flu-like symptoms.
Protection is the best forth of pre-
vention using insect repellent with at
least 30 per cent DEET and wearing
long sleeves and pants - especially
around dusk and dawn. Getting rid of
any standing water on your property
also gets rid of prime hatching grounds
for mosquitoes.
Should anyone find a dead bird on
their property, the best thing to do is
limit contact with it. Wear gloves and
double -bag the bird before depositing
it in the trash.
Seriof G
Mine
Iakeshoreadvance.com
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