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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 26, 2013 | 6 Take the advice and take cover No longer is it just a bug bite. West Nile virus (WNV) is back again in Halton and residents must continue to do what they can to protect themselves from this nasty illness. Residents are being reminded to cover up and reduce mosquito-breeding sites after a group of the blood-sucking insects tested positive for the virus in Oakville last week. Not a good sign. Halton Region of cials report this is the rst batch of WNV-positive mosquitoes discovered in the region this year -- and it comes early. That could indicate a busy year in terms of WNV activity locally, according to Dr. Monir Taha, the Region's associate medical of cer of health. He said in a media release, as reported in the Thursday edition of the Oakville Beaver, that the recent hot weather was perfect for mosquito and WNV reproduction. As well as protecting against mosquito bites, residents also need to get rid of mosquito-breeding sites until the WNV season winds down in the fall. Taha said the insects that transmit WNV to humans most commonly breed in urban areas where man-made items that hold water -- including birdbaths, plant pots, old toys and tires -- are abundant. Residents are advised to decrease their risk of contracting WNV by: · Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants with tightly-woven fabric · Avoiding outdoors from early evening to morning when mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite · Reducing mosquito-breeding sites by getting rid of all water- lled containers and objects and by changing the water in birdbaths at least once a week · Using an approved insect repellent, such as one containing DEET · Making sure window and door screens are tight and without holes, cuts or other openings that would allow pests inside. Older adults and people with underlying illnesses should be especially cautious as they're more likely to develop the illness, possibly resulting in death. People should take these precautions very seriously especially in light of a recently released Halton Region health department report on infectious diseases (see p. 13. of today's Beaver). While it's reported that in 2012, in comparison with the entire province, Halton's reported incident rates are signi cantly lower for infectious diseases like chlamydia, in uenza, hepatitis C and gonorrhea, the rate of the West Nile virus was signi cantly higher in Halton. It's all worth taking heed of the advice, warnings and precautions being issued by the local health department -- after all, it's in the business to protect our health. Editorial F I R S T W I T H F A R E S "Connected to your Community" H A R E 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 89 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production Here, from left, May Tsang, Autumn Klimsiak, Susanne Klimsiak, representing First Canadian Title (FCT), and Ron Ziegel of Fareshare food bank participate at the fourth-year cheque presentation by FCT to Fareshare. The cheque and food donations were the proceeds of the company's annual golf tournament. FCT has raised more than $25,000 along with food donations for the food bank over the past four years. | photo by ErIc Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution Thanks for the cool thought in the heatwave I would like to give a shout out to the folks at 225 Douglas. During the recent hot spell, this family left a large bowl of ice cubes lled with bottled water, free to any delivery person who wanted it. What a really kind and thoughtful thing to do. I can attest that the mail carrier Sue, and this adult Beaver carrier really enjoyed this refreshing stop on our routes. Moe Wiltse, Oakville Letters to the Editor CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association I wonder how many people in Oakville realize what a marvellous opportunity they have been missing for the previous four Tuesday evenings. We, the fortunate, have been bringing our lawn chairs and blankets and enjoying the wonderful music of the Oakville Wind Orchestra led by the energetic and mind-boggling mind full of trivia found inside Chris Arthurs. Gone are the corny jokes of yore and have been replaced by his clever repartee of trivia about composers. This last week he included the royal family because of the birth of the new future monarch. The music played is for those of all ages from Beethoven to music from Disney and Stevie Wonder. He also had a quite successful food drive for A treasure in our midst at Coronation Kerr Street Ministry recently too, the front of the stage was clearly over owing with largesse from the audience. For those who have not been fortunate to have attended there are still two Tuesdays left, the best part is it is almost free all they ask is that you part with a mere toonie to defray the cost of the orchestra's costs. It is well worth the effort I can assure you. His orchestra is guaranteed to get you toe tapping and humming along, you can bring along a picnic or whatever you wish. How privileged we are to have this lovely venue in beautiful Coronation Park. Oh yes, 7 p.m. sharp unless there is a thunderstorm. Suzanne Whiteley, Oakville Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.