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REGINA — Officials in Saskatchewan say extreme heat and humidity are to blame for a recent spike in the number of cases of West Nile virus.
Six new cases were reported by the Saskatoon Health region on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 17. As of last week, the province had detected only four cases of the flu-like disease.
Phil Curry, director of the province's West Nile program, said the Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, which spread the disease, thrive in hot and humid weather.
“This is a hot-weather mosquito,” Mr. Curry said, adding that heavy rains in June also led to a spike in mosquito numbers. He said the mosquitoes are most active in the evenings.
“It's quite active – biting, laying eggs of another generation of mosquitoes.”
Mr. Curry added that a rising number of positive mosquito samples have been found in communities throughout the province. He said most of the human cases have been detected in the Saskatoon and Regina Qu'Appelle health regions, “but that would be expected because those are higher-population areas.”
In Manitoba, health officials said 17 more people in the province have tested positive for the West Nile. The office of Dr. Joel Kettner, Manitoba's chief medical officer of health, said to date, 42 people have contracted the virus.
Alberta has so far reported only one human case of West Nile.
Heath officials say the best way to prevent the virus is to use mosquito repellents that contain DEET, and to avoid going outdoors at dawn and dusk.
