The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has launched its annual West Nile Virus surveillance program.
In addition to catching mosquitoes to identify and test them, the program includes larviciding catch basins, standing water and lagoons to stop mosquitoes from breeding.
In 2019, the health unit tested 979 mosquito pools of standing water throughout Windsor-Essex and 27 of them were positive for West Nile.
There was one human case of West Nile Virus last year.
Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Wajid Ahmed, says the goal of the program is to stop mosquitoes from breeding.
Ahmed says a few years ago, a different type of mosquito was found in our area that can spread the Zika Virus and dengue fever.
"The mosquitoes caught are sent to a certified lab for identification and viral testing. In 2016, multiple tropical species of mosquitoes aedes albopicti and aedes aegypti were identified during routine West Nile Virus surveillance."
Due to the discovery of tropical species of mosquitoes, additional traps will go up in Leamington and Lakeshore this year.
Dr. Ahmed says people should remove standing water from their property, and wear insect repellent that contains DEET.
There is no evidence that mosquitoes can transmit COVID-19.