WEST NILE PROGRAM
Conditions ripe for breeding
Although spring temperatures have been below normal for the most part, heavy rainfall in the region has prompted the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit to begin its West Nile virus larviciding program a little earlier than usual.
At a news conference Monday at Ojibway Prairie Park, associate medical officer of health Dr. Wajid Ahmed said wet conditions have created good conditions for mosquito breeding.
“It’s always a difficult challenge to predict what the season will look like but so far, there has been a lot of rain, so the temperatures are high enough ... those are the two predictors that define whether mosquito season will be bad or average,” said Ahmed.
“Right now, both conditions are present, so that’s why we’re starting our monitoring program a little earlier than previous years and we will continue to monitor every week to the point that weather is not conducive to mosquito growth.”
Last year, the monitoring and larviciding began on May 26, but this year it began on May 7.
On Monday, Kevin Taylor of Pestalto Environmental Health Services Inc., who handles the specialized mosquito work for the health unit, showed how he goes about testing for mosquito larvae.
He dips a coffee-cup sized container on the end of an extended pole into the water where there is a considerable supply of algae and plant growth for the larvae to feed on.
He didn’t find any active larvae, or “wigglers” on Monday, but said that will likely change later this week with warmer temperatures.
“When it’s warm, mosquitos can go from egg to larva very quickly,” Taylor said.
He said urban sewers also house mosquito types that carry the virus.
“We’ll also be doing catch basin treatments, that’s an important one, too, because a lot of the species that carry West Nile love breeding in catch basins, so that’s a major part of the program, too,” said Taylor.
The health unit is also monitoring for the presence of Aedes albopictus, a breed of mosquito that is capable of transmitting the Zika virus, which has infected people in more tropical zones and may contribute to birth defects.
“We we were hoping the cold temperatures would have killed all the species of the Aedes albopictus but we just wanted to be sure,” said Ahmed.
“The traps are different, their breeding habits are different.”
Homeowners are reminded to clear their properties of any standing water, including in bird baths, flower pots and eavestroughs.
Keep pools clean and chlorinated and aerate ornamental ponds, and, for areas where water cannot be cleared or changed, consider an approved mosquito larvicide.
Last year, there were two confirmed cases of the West Nile virus in Windsor and Essex County, below the local average since the virus first appeared in Canada about 15 years ago.
People are reminded to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, such as using mosquito repellents, avoiding outdoor activities between dusk and dawn and wearing long sleeves and protective clothing.
There has been a lot of rain … the temperatures are high enough ... those are the two predictors that define whether mosquito season will be bad.