West Nile virus mosquitoes detected in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines – Hamilton

Niagara-area public health reports West Nile virus in a cluster of mosquitoes caught over the past week.

It’s the first mosquito group to be positive in Niagara this year, but the finding hasn’t raised the area’s risk assessment.

A spokesman for the region said positive pools have been confirmed in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Thorold.

The area medical officer recommends preventative measures such as using insect repellents containing DEET or Icaridin and wearing long-sleeved, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing to reduce the risk of bites.

“Regularly drain all areas of standing or standing water on your property, including bird baths, old tires, buckets, toys and wheelbarrows,” Niagara Public Health said in a statement.

“Make sure all windows and doors in your home are in good condition.”

As of last week, the province said there had been no reported West Nile virus cases detected in humans so far in 2022.

In the past week, 36 positive mosquito pools have been detected across Ontario.

Overall, public health units have reported just 67 pools for 2021, compared to 127 in 2020.

So far, the Peel region has the most reported positive West Nile pools in 2022, with nine.

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