Hamilton’s health official has raised the risk of West Nile virus from moderate to high after the first local human case was confirmed this season, the city said in a news release.
The city is urging Hamilton residents to remove standing water from private properties to avoid mosquito breeding and to protect themselves from bites.
Dr. Bart Harvey, associate medical officer of health, recommended using simple preventative measures like using an insect repellent containing DEET or icaridin and covering up to reduce the risk of mosquito bites “while enjoying the outdoors.” .
“It is important to take precautions to avoid diseases spread by insects, including West Nile virus, Lyme disease and eastern equine encephalitis,” he said in a release. “The risk of these infections will decrease once there is a strong cold, which reduces the number of mosquitoes.”
The city said four out of five people with West Nile virus will have no symptoms. However, older people and those with weakened immune systems can get West Nile fever or develop a more severe illness, including inflammation of the brain.
Symptoms appear between two and 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
The city said it is continually evaluating the risk of human disease as part of its overall West Nile virus surveillance and prevention program and is completing its third round of larvicidal treatments of the city’s outdoor pool areas.
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