The Ottawa Public Health (OPH) announced that the West Nile virus has been detected among local mosquito populations and that there is a confirmed case in one person in the city.

In a press statement yesterday evening, the public health office said that mosquito traps and testing confirmed the first positive mosquito test of the annual surveillance season, which began in June.

The confirmed human case is the first of this year. Last year, there were no laboratory-confirmed cases of the West Nile virus in Ottawa.

It was announced that there were 54 confirmed cases across Ontario in 2023.

OPH states that the West Nile virus is an infection primarily spread by northern house mosquitoes (Culex pipiens), which can cause severe illness in a small number of cases; most people will not show any symptoms if infected, but about 20% of those infected may experience flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, muscle aches, and possibly a rash. The risk of more severe disease—which occurs in less than 1% of infections, where the West Nile virus affects the central nervous system—increases with age, as older adults and individuals with compromised immune systems are at higher risk.

The health unit advises residents to take necessary precautions to protect themselves from mosquito bites and prevent mosquito breeding by following these tips:

Apply a Canadian health department-approved mosquito repellent containing DEET or Icaridin on exposed skin and clothing
Protect yourself, especially during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active, and whenever you are near shaded, dense, or treed areas
Wear light-colored, tightly woven, and loose-fitting clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, shoes, and socks to protect exposed skin and ensure that all windows and doors in your home have screens in good condition.

It was also confirmed that you should remove or drain standing water sites around your home once a week, such as bird baths, toys, flower pot saucers, pool covers, old tires, wheelbarrows, and buckets, and keep all openings of rain barrels covered with a fine mesh screen at all times.