(THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Lynne Sladky)
WINNIPEG — Manitoba Health has reported the first confirmed human case of West Nile Virus of the year.
Officials on Friday announced the case is someone between the ages of 40 and 49 living in the Winnipeg health region.
“The individual experienced neurological symptoms and was hospitalized,” the province said in a release. “They were most likely exposed to WNV sometime in late June to early July. A public health investigation has been completed.”
Three other probable WNV cases are currently under investigation.
There were seven cases of West Nile Virus in Manitoba in 2022, with five people requiring hospitalization.
Manitobans are being reminded that weather conditions have been favourable for Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, the species that carries WNV. Due to current mosquito trap counts, WNV-positive mosquito pools, and weather conditions, the risk of exposure to WNV is currently considered to be high.
Culex tarsalis mosquitoes typically feed between dusk and dawn and often go unnoticed when biting.
To date, 45 pools of mosquitoes infected with WNV have been identified in Manitoba this year, with eight pools identified during the week of August 13 to 19.
