By Rosalind Russell – Algoma Public Health is advising residents that two wild birds, one in Sault Ste. Marie and the other in East Algoma, have tested positive for West Nile virus.
Associate Medical Officer of Health, Dr. John Tuinema, says the virus has been identified in birds, mosquitoes, horses, and humans in Ontario since the summer of 2001.
He emphasizes the detection of the virus in birds is a reminder that it is primarily a disease of birds, but it can be transmitted to people when mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds and later bite humans.
He says it is not spread through person-to-person contact and is not transmitted directly from birds to people.
He adds the public is encouraged take steps such as covering up, limiting their time outdoors and remove standing water from their properties to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.
For more information on the virus and steps the public can take, visit Algoma Public Health on line or contact your local branch directly.
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