
Canada has its 1st case of West Nile this year. Here’s what to know about the virus
Global News
Confirmation of the first human case of West Nile virus acquired in Canada this year arrived just in time for the August long weekend. Here's what you need to know about virus.
Confirmation of the first human case of West Nile virus acquired in Canada this year arrived just in time for the August long weekend.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said Thursday that an adult in Toronto with no travel history has been infected with the mosquito-borne virus. There had previously been two people with West Nile virus in Canada, but they were infected while travelling outside the country.
Here’s what you need to know about West Nile virus as you head outdoors this weekend.
The first human case of West Nile virus appeared in Canada in 2002.
The virus was originally identified in the West Nile region of Uganda, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist at the University Health Network in Toronto, but was carried to many places around the world by migratory birds.
When mosquitoes bite infected birds, they in turn become infected and then can pass on the virus to humans and other animals when they bite them.
The type of mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus usually bite around dusk and at night, Bogoch said.
Human infections usually occur in mid to late summer, petering out as the temperature cools down.













