A mosquito has tested positive for West Nile Virus in the north-eastern part of Mitchell.
The Perth County Health Unit says it’s the first mosquito to test positive this season in that area.
The health unit has been trapping and testing mosquitoes in Listowel, Stratford, St. Marys and Mitchell since June.
They applied one round of larvicide to catch basins in those areas to help reduce mosquito breeding and a second round is scheduled for this month.
“West Nile virus activity has been low so far across Ontario, but it’s not surprising to see activity begin to increase as historically we get positive mosquito pools around this time,” said public health inspector Stephanie Carlisle in a news release.
In Ontario, there have been four probable or confirmed cases of West Nile in humans so far this year.
According to health officials, not everyone that gets bitten by an infected mosquito will show symptoms of the virus.
Those who do show symptoms might experience fever, headache, body ache, nausea and vomiting.
About 1 in 150 will get seriously ill, with symptoms like high fever, vision loss, muscle weakness and coma.
Symptoms usually develop two to fifteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
The health unit is reminding residents to use insect repellent when outdoors and to remove standing water around the home at least once a week to reduce breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
