Province orders mosquito fogging in Winnipeg, Altona

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This article was published 08/08/2024 (738 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province has ordered mosquito fogging in Winnipeg and Altona over concerns about the West Nile virus.

The government said in a news release Thursday that there are high numbers of the insects in the area and evidence of mosquitoes infected with the virus. No locally acquired human cases of the virus have been confirmed in Manitoba this year, but the risk for potential exposure is high.

Two cases of the virus have been confirmed in humans related to travel outside of Canada as of Aug. 1, the Manitoba government’s website states.

Forty-two mosquito collections have tested positive for the virus as of that date. Thirty-four of those collections came from the Southern Health Region.

Traps are set up in 21 areas in southern Manitoba to monitor Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, which are the most likely to transmit West Nile virus to humans.

The traps, baited with carbon dioxide, are run two nights a week in each community, except in Winnipeg and Brandon, where more traps are used because of the larger community size.

The province issues orders under The Environment Act requiring municipalities to fog when the risk of West Nile transmission is high.

The fogging is set to begin Friday night, weather permitting. Crews will be using DeltaGard 20EW, which is classified as a reduced-risk pesticide.

One area that will be fogged in Winnipeg also affects the Rural Municipality of Macdonald. The boundaries are Wilkes Avenue in the north; Waverley Street in the east; Abinojii Mikanah, Bison Drive and Kenaston Boulevard in the southeast; La Verendrye Road 54 Northeast in the south; and Road 8 East in the west.

The other area of Winnipeg that will be fogged includes part of the RM of West St. Paul. The boundaries are Grassmere Road in the north (with an extension along Highway 8 to three kilometres north of the Perimeter Highway), Main Street in the east, Balgona Road and Murray Avenue in the south, and Pipeline Road in the west.

How many mosquitos are buzzing around Winnipeg? Check our interactive map.

An extended area of about three kilometres around Altona, in the RM of Rhineland, will also be fogged.

The City of Winnipeg suspended its fogging program for nuisance mosquitoes after the night of July 20 and said at the time that it would review trap counts and resume fogging if necessary.

West Nile virus can cause severe illness, including swelling of the brain, and can sometimes cause long-term complications or death. While some people infected with the virus show no symptoms, severe symptoms include headache, high fever, confusion, muscle weakness, coma or paralysis.

Older adults and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk of severe illness and can take months or years to recover.

In southern Manitoba, humans can be exposed to mosquitoes carrying the virus from June to September.

Wearing insect repellent and light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves and pant legs can help prevent mosquito bites. Limiting time outdoors during dusk and dawn and regularly cleaning containers that hold water such as bird baths, wading pools and eavestroughs can reduce mosquito habitat.

There is no vaccine or cure for West Nile virus.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca