How to protect yourself from West Nile virus

It's been a hot, humid and wet summer so far in Ottawa, making it the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and elevating the risk of West Nile virus.

It's been a hot, humid and wet summer so far in Ottawa, making it the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and elevating the risk of West Nile virus.

On Friday, Ottawa Public Health said that at least one person in the city has a confirmed case of West Nile and that the virus has been detected in the local mosquito population.

In 2023, there were no confirmed human transmissions in Ottawa.

Ottawa Public Health inspector Renay Roberts told CTV Morning Live that the rain and humidity this year mimic the conditions seen in 2017, when 20 cases of West Nile were confirmed in the city.

"We are concerned that with the amount of mosquitoes we are seeing this year, those are the ones that we saw back in 2017, so we want to get the message out to ask residents to protect themselves," Roberts told CTV's Melissa Lamb on Tuesday.

"They just love warm, wet and humid weather."

Roberts says the illness is spread when mosquitoes bite infected migratory birds, who then bite humans.