West Nile Virus
West Nile in Interior Health
The West Nile virus, originally from the West Nile region of Africa, has been spreading across North America since 1999. In the last few years it has been steadily moving north along the Pacific mountain ranges.
BC has seen many cases of disease in people who had travelled to other parts of North America. In late August 2009, for the first time in BC, two human cases were positive for West Nile virus. These individuals from the Okanagan had no history of travel outside of the region.
- Should I be concerned?
The virus can be transmitted to humans from the bite of an infected mosquito.
- What is being done about it?
Interior Health's action plan includes initiatives on three fronts:
- What Can I Do?
- Precautions around the home
- Personal protection
- Reporting