REMEMBER YOUR REPELLENT AS SASKATCHEWAN ENTERS WEST NILE SEASON

Whether you’re outdoors in the city or on the farm, at the cabin, on the golf course or camping at one of Saskatchewan’s many parks, Saskatchewan Health reminds you to protect yourself against West Nile Virus this summer.

“Preventive measures are the best protection against West Nile, particularly as the risk increases from mid July through September,” entomologist Phil Curry said.  Curry is the provincial West Nile co-ordinator, overseeing Saskatchewan’s West Nile surveillance and mosquito control activities.

Protective measures against West Nile include consistent use of insect repellent; wearing light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts or jackets, long pants and socks; and decreasing time spent outside when mosquitoes are most active, particularly at dawn and dusk.

In addition to taking these precautions, Saskatchewan residents may further minimize the risk by reducing mosquito habitats in and around their yards.  Typically, this includes eliminating standing water and clearing shady, protected places where mosquitoes breed and rest.

“When it comes to mosquito populations this year, we may see average to below average numbers in the southern parts of the province, with potentially above average numbers in the parklands,” Curry said.  “However, such predictions are difficult as mosquito populations can fluctuate a great deal, based on a number of factors that come into play throughout the season.”

Saskatchewan Health is providing $1.45 million in funding for the West Nile Virus strategy, including a cost-sharing program with municipalities for mosquito control.

In 2006, there were 20 cases of West Nile Virus in Saskatchewan, including two severe cases with West Nile neurological syndrome.  No deaths were attributed to West Nile Virus.  That is less than the 60 reported cases and three deaths in 2005 and a significant reduction since 2003 in which there were 947 human cases and seven deaths.

For more information on West Nile Virus, surveillance results and the preventative measures you can take, visit the Saskatchewan Health website at www.health.gov.sk.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Joan Petrie
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: jpetrie@health.gov.sk.ca