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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Winnipeg woman, man test positive for West Nile virus
A Winnipeg man and woman have tested positive for West Nile virus after they donated blood last week, Manitoba Health said Tuesday.
Canadian Blood Services, which reported the cases to Manitoba Health on Monday, said both donors were in their 40s and were from the Winnipeg region.
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They donated blood on July 26 and 27, and a blood-screening test conducted by Canadian Blood Services showed they had the virus.
One of the donors reported mild symptoms and the other reported no symptoms.
Dr. Margaret Fast, acting chief provincial public health officer with Manitoba Health, said officials are in the process of conducting a health report to determine how the virus was contracted.
"It's possible they (the victims) were only in the city when they contracted it," Fast said. "The majority of people who are infected have no symptoms at all."
Fast said about 20 per cent of those infected have mild, flu-like symptoms, and less than one per cent demonstrate severe neurological symptoms such as meningitis.
Dr. Debra Lane, medical director for Canadian Blood Services in Winnipeg, said they have not found a case of West Nile virus in Manitoba since 2007.
"We test every single donation for West Nile virus all year-round," Lane said. "We test people before they know they're sick."
Lane said a person infected with the virus can donate blood again after 56 days.
"This is our peak time to donate... it doesn't mean you have to self-defer," she said.
Hot, humid weather in recent weeks has been ideal for the development of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, the species that carries West Nile virus.
On July 26, Manitoba Health said there was a high risk of exposure to the virus throughout southern Manitoba.
So far this summer, 20 mosquito samples have tested positive for the West Nile virus in 14 communities across the province. None were identified last year.
To reduce the West Nile infection risk, the province advises Manitobans to spend less time outdoors during peak mosquito hours at dawn and dusk, use mosquito repellent and wear light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes.
Residents should make sure their window and door screens are fitted tightly and free of holes. Homeowners should empty standing water around their houses.
jennifer.ford@freepress.mb.ca katherine.dow@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 1, 2012 A3
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