(THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Sean McCann)
The first confirmed human case of West Nile virus has been found in Manitoba this season.
The province on Friday said a woman in her 60s living in the Interlake–Eastern health region contracted the virus.
Additionally, a pool of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes carrying West Nile has been collected in Brandon. This is the second positive pool to date, with the first being located in Headingley last week.
The province says the risk of exposure to the West Nile virus is low, but likely to increase in the coming weeks, as the highest risk period is historically in late July and early August.
“While most people who are infected will develop mild or no symptoms, some can develop severe symptoms that can result in hospital stays and even death,” officials said in a release. “Recovery from WNV infection, particularly severe symptoms, can take months or years.”
It takes just a single bite from an infected mosquito to contract the virus, officials warned.
The public is cautioned to reduce time spent outdoors during peak mosquito hours between dusk and dawn, and to use a mosquito repellant.
Between 2017 and 2021, there were 45 cases of WNV in Manitoba. Nine cases were hospitalized and four required intensive care.
