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home / 世界杯决赛2022

west nile virus turns up in toronto mosquitoes

the risk of being infected in toronto is low, but toronto public health advises there are various precautions you can take.

by liz braun

aug 9 2022
read time 1 minute read
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toronto public health (tph) confirms that west nile virus has turned up in five pools of mosquitoes in the city where testing is carried out.
west nile virus (wnv) is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes.
the pools of mosquitoes with positive results are from locations in etobicoke, north york and west of the downtown area.
west nile can be very serious and even fatal for older people and anyone who is immunocompromised.
symptoms, which usually develop between two and 14 days after a person is bitten by an infected mosquito, may include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph glands.
tph conducts mosquito surveillance from mid-june until mid-september annually.
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once a week, 22 mosquito traps are set across the city to collect mosquitoes that are then submitted to a laboratory for identification and grouped by the lab into pools for testing.
in 2021, a total of 20 positive mosquito pools were reported.

as the canadian government website notes, infected dead birds are one indication of areas that are at high risk for wnv. jays, magpies, ravens and crows are particularly at risk.

horses are also at high risk for wnv.
there were 163 cases of wnv in canada in 2020, but only 35 cases were recorded last year.
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it is believed the true number of infections is much higher.
the risk of being infected in toronto is low, but toronto public health advises there are various precautions you can take.
remove all standing water from your property, because that’s where mosquitoes breed.
wear light-coloured clothing, including long pants and long-sleeved shirts, when outdoors, and use insect repellent that contains deet or icaridin.
be extra careful at dawn and dusk, which is when mosquitoes bite most.
check that door and window screens are tight-fitting and without holes.
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