Alberta has launched a study to measure the extent of West Nile virus infection in 2003.
“There is a serious lack of information on how the disease is going to play out in Alberta,” said John Tuckwell, spokesperson for Alberta Health.
“There aren’t a lot of studies available,”
The department wants to know how many people were infected last year because it is possible to have the virus without experiencing any symptoms.
Participants in the study will be asked for a blood sample. If West Nile antibodies are present in the sample, they will be notified by health authorities.
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Officials will telephone 1,500 people at random in the Palliser Health Region in the southeastern corner of the province.
Another 1,500 people across the province will be included to round out the sample.
All participation is voluntary and individual results are confidential.
The Palliser Health region reported 130 cases of West Nile virus in 2003, more than any other health region in the province.
Symptoms ranged from a fever to serious neurological symptoms. There were 275 cases reported province wide.
While no vaccine is available, it is thought anyone previously infected is likely immune.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan are conducting similar, but smaller scale studies. Ontario collected samples in 2002.
