Three deaths from West Nile in Alberta this year
By Gillian Slade on October 23, 2018.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com @MHNGillianSlade Three Albertans have died this season as a result of West Nile virus. The total number of confirmed West Nile virus cases this year now stands at 50, with 40 in the south zone that includes Medicine Hat. Although the region is no longer swamped by mosquitoes, with summer gone, the West Nile virus data was collected in the preceding number of weeks, said the medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services in a recent interview. In some cases the individuals were bitten but did not develop symptoms of West Nile virus until later. Of the 50 cases across the province, 37 were non-neurological, eight were neurological and five asymptomatic. Those with West Nile non-neurological syndrome may experience fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, skin rash, swollen glands and headache. People who develop West Nile neurological syndrome may experience tremors, drowsiness, confusion, swallowing problems, high fever, unconsciousness, paralysis and can be fatal. In 2003, when statistics of West Nile virus were first kept, there were 275 cases across the province. There were 320 cases in 2007. The numbers dropped significantly after that with only one in 2008, two in 2009, and nine cases in 2012 including a local man who died that October from West Nile Neurological Syndrome. There were 21 cases in 2013 and then nothing until last year when there were five, three of which were in the south of the province, according to data provided on Alberta Health’s website. The south zone typically has higher numbers than the rest of the province because of the warmer weather, ideal breading conditions for the West Nile virus carrying mosquito. With daily temperatures of 18 C it takes about 30 days for the Culex tarsalis, the larvae carrying the virus, to be able to transmit the virus. If temperatures reach 30 C it can take less than a week for ideal breeding conditions. 11
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