A Lambton County resident recently tested positive for West Nile virus.
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Public health Monday announced the first lab-confirmed case of the virus locally in humans this year.
It’s the sixth human case reported in Ontario to date in 2024, public health officials said in a news release.
The virus was recently detected locally for the first time in 2024 when mosquitoes, collected Aug. 14 from a trap in Corunna, tested positive.
Lambton Public Health has said one human case of West Nile was confirmed locally in 2023, and there have been six lab-confirmed local human cases since 2016.
Earlier this summer, the county began setting out traps weekly around Lambton to check for infected mosquitoes.
West Nile spreads to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes, but most infected individuals do not get sick, Lambton Public Health said.
Those who do become ill usually experience mild flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, skin rash or muscle aches, officials said. Fewer than one per hundred of those infected become seriously ill.
Use repellents containing DEET or Icaridin, and wear protective, light-colored clothing to help reduce the risk of mosquito bites, officials said.
People are also encouraged to drain standing water on their properties to reduce mosquito breeding.
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