West Nile virus

• Cover up when going outside, especially between the hours of dusk and dawn (when mosquitoes are most active and likely to bite) and when visiting shady, wooded areas.
• Remember to wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants with tightly-woven fabric

• Apply a Health Canada approved insect repellent that contains DEET or Icaridin.
• Always read and follow all the label directions when using any insect repellent. Or, ask a pharmacist for help when choosing an insect repellent product.

• Make sure that doors and windows have tight-fitting screens; repair or replace any torn screens.

• Keep bushes and shrubs clear of overgrowth and debris (adult mosquitoes like to rest in dense shrubbery).
• Turn your compost pile often.

The water in swimming pools and ponds can provide a potential breeding location for mosquitoes if the water is allowed to remain stagnant. Ensure proper maintenance of pools and ponds to help prevent mosquito breeding.

• Circulate water in ornamental ponds
• Turn over wading pools when not in use
• Ensure swimming pool and hot tub pumps are circulating water
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used
• Remove water that collects on pool and hot tub covers
• Routinely inspect your pool system to ensure it is functioning correctly

For water that cannot be emptied or changed, or pools that will be closed for the summer, you may want to consider the use of an approved mosquito larvicide product purchased from a local hardware store. Ensure to read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Between May and late September, Halton Region Public Health accepts complaints regarding standing water at public facilities. To be considered standing water, the conditions must persist for seven or more days.

Call 311 to report standing water on public property.

To report standing water on private property contact your local municipal by-law office.

One of the measures to control WNV is to reduce mosquito populations through a process called larviciding. Larviciding involves using pesticides (larvicides) to control mosquitoes when they are in the larval stage of development. This stage occurs in water, after the mosquito eggs hatch, but before the mosquito becomes an adult that bites.

Larvicide is only used in areas where surveillance shows that mosquito larvae are present. Larvicide is only applied when other measures for the reduction and control of breeding sites do not work to minimize the risk of WNV.

Larvicides are chemical and biological products registered for use in Canada by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), a branch of Health Canada.