10 Friday, May 25, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com Durham Region Health Department has started West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance and control activities for the 2018 season. WNV is a mosquito-borne disease that is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected by feeding on the blood of birds that carry the virus. The disease is not passed from person to person or from bird to person. Durham Region had three confirmed human cases of WNV in 2017, compared to two human cases in 2016. The Health Department routinely traps batches of adult mosquitoes, known as mosquito pools, as part of its ongoing WNV surveillance activities. In 2017, 10 of the mosquito pools trapped by the Health Department tested positive for WNV. This represents the same number of positive mosquito pools seen in 2016. Cover standing water "Mosquitoes lay their eggs, which then become mosquito larvae, in standing water," explained Ross MacEachern, Acting Director, Health Protection with the Health Department. "Therefore, area residents are reminded to remove or cover any standing water around their homes to help reduce the development of mosquito larvae." The Health Department recommends the following to help minimize potential mosquito breeding sites: Chlorinate rain barrels or cover them with mosquito screening. Drain water from areas such as pools and chair covers, and also from containers such as ceramic pots, wading pools, bird baths, planters, etc. Check that roof gutters are cleared and draining properly. Clean and properly maintain swimming pools and outdoor hot tubs. Remove all unused tires from your property. Ensure that drainage ditches are not backed up. To help reduce the possibility of being exposed to WNV, residents are encouraged to take these precautions: Wear shoes, socks and light- coloured clothing with long sleeves and full-length pants when outside, especially overnight, between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Use insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin, following Health Canada's safety tips on using personal insect repellents. More information on us- ing insect repellents containing DEET can be found at https:// www.canada.ca/en/health-can- ada/services/about-pesticides/ insect-repellents.html?_ga=1.1 90416748.61038264.1464190 033. Ensure doors and windows have screens that are tight-fitting and in good repair. Keep grass, shrubs and hedges trimmed. Turn over compost piles regularly. Throughout the summer, the Health Department will conduct activities to monitor WNV concerns, including implementing a weekly adult mosquito- trapping program, a larval mosquito surveillance program and a larviciding program involving regional catch basins, as well as identified mosquito breeding stagnant water sites. For more information on WNV and the Health Department's surveillance activities, please call the Health Department's Environmental Help Line at 905-723-3818 or 1-888-777-9613, or visit durham.ca/westnile. West Nile Virus Surveillance Begins