The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) continues to monitor for local West Nile virus cases.
A number of other municipalities across Ontario including Mississauga, Bradford, Toronto, York Region, Niagara Region, Hamilton, and others have confirmed mosquito pools tested positive for the virus.
Dr. Mehdi Aloosh, the Medical Officer of Health with the Health Unit, says they continue to monitor their mosquito traps around the region.
The traps were first set up in mid-May and will be checked until mid-October. Once a week, 40 mosquito traps are set up across Windsor-Essex to collect mosquitoes for viral testing.
In 2023, the Health Unit confirmed only one human case of West Nile. In 2024, there were seven confirmed cases.
Aloosh says at this time there haven't been any confirmed cases locally.
"We expect that we'll see positive pools and likely we'll have human cases. We continue to do our surveillance efforts which is mosquito pool trapping and testing for the virus."
He says local mosquito traps are consistently monitored.
"We are working daily on those traps, and gathering the mosquitoes. Our colleagues here at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit are counting them, and we're sending them for testing at the lab, and that's an ongoing effort."
Aloosh says there are ways residents can protect themselves.
"Checking and fixing housing screens or windows, and doors to keep mosquitoes outside. When they're going outside, stay in a well screened building. Other things they can do around their house is to ensure that there's not a pool of water standing there."
According to the WECHU website, 70 to 80 per cent of individuals who get West Nile virus do not experience any symptoms.
Almost 20 per cent of those infected will have symptoms such as a fever, headaches, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a mild rash. Very few people will develop severe symptoms that affect their nervous system.
Mosquitoes become infected with West Nile when they feed on infected birds. The bite by an infected mosquito can then transmit the virus to humans and other animals.