A Halton resident has tested positive for West Nile virus. This is the first laboratory-confirmed human case in Halton this year.
“Halton Region Public Health works to reduce the risk of West Nile virus in our community through both education and preventative programs such as larviciding. Until the fall frost, Halton residents should continue to protect themselves and their families against mosquito bites and remove mosquito breeding sites,” said Dr. Joanna Oda, Halton Region Associate Medical Officer of Health.
About 80 per cent of individuals infected with West Nile virus will have no symptoms, while some may develop fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash. About one in a hundred people infected with West Nile virus may develop a severe illness affecting the central nervous system. This may present as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord).
