Q: What do we need to be concerned about with respect to summertime nuisances like mosquitoes, black flies, etc.? What are the symptoms to watch for in West Nile?
A: When a mosquito bites a human, it first injects an anticoagulant substance. After being bitten a couple of times, the person produces antibodies to the mosquito saliva and itchy red hives appear as part of the immune response.
Some adults can eventually be-come so desensitized to mosquito bites that they have little or no reaction. Others may develop a hypersensitivity resulting in a major in-flammatory reaction, known as Skeeter Syndrome, including bruising and blistering that can be quite serious.
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Viral diseases carried by several different types of mosquitoes include the West Nile virus and Western and Eastern Equine Encephalitis viruses. Known as Arbor viruses, they can cause brain infections, affecting mainly horses, but on rare occasions, human can also contact them.
Symptoms range from a mild flu-like illness to coma and death. The main reservoir of infection is in wild birds.
The Western Equine virus has only been found on the West Coast of Canada, while the eastern variety is limited to the East Coast.
In Canada, infections due to WEV and EEEV occur mainly in spring and are associated with birds migrating from the southern United States to northern Canada.
At the time of writing, there have been 110 reported cases of West Nile virus this year in Canada, all in Ontario and Quebec. Most infected people suffer no symptoms or mild flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache and body aches.
Those with weak immune systems due to age or illness are at greater risk of developing health problems that are more serious, including meningitis, encephalitis and acute flaccid paralysis.
Acute flaccid paralysis is a polio-like syndrome that can result in the permanent loss of function of one or more limbs.
Black flies do not generally carry diseases to humans, although there is some speculation that they might also be transmitters of encephalitis or brain infections.
Some people may get severe allergic reactions and may need to carry an Epipen with them during black fly season. They may also cause health problems in some animals.
For travellers, the Anopheles mosquito can transmit the malaria parasite, although malaria has not yet arrived in Canada.
