MGH campus transformation
MGH’s campus transformation continues with major renovation work. Patients and visitors can expect to experience noise, hallway closures and detours around the hospital. Learn more about our campus transformation.
MGH’s campus transformation continues with major renovation work. Patients and visitors can expect to experience noise, hallway closures and detours around the hospital. Learn more about our campus transformation.
It might begin as a tingling sensation on your skin on a hot summer night – but before long, this is replaced by itchy bumps, swollen skin and excessive scratching.
The mosquito strikes again.
This year, a relatively mild winter and an especially wet spring and summer has cultivated the perfect breeding ground and weather conditions for mosquitoes – and with it, the perfect storm for West Nile virus in Toronto and southern Ontario to thrive.
West Nile cases typically begin to surface in late August, early September as it takes a while for mosquitoes to become infected. Most people get West Nile after being bitten by an infected mosquito – and mosquitoes become diseased when they feed on infected birds. These mosquitoes can then spread the virus to humans and other animals.
Whether you’re spending the long weekend in the city or travelling north to the cottage, it’s important to take the proper precautions to protect yourself and family from West Nile Virus.
MGH News interviewed Dr. Jeff Powis, Infectious Diseases Specialist and Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control & Antimicrobial Stewardship at Michael Garron Hospital on the topic. Here’s what he had to say:
Individuals infected with West Nile typically show symptoms between two and 15 days after being bitten. Symptoms may include headache, fever, aches and pains – and on rarer occasions, individuals might experience a rash or eye inflammation. If you experience this combination of symptoms, visit your family doctor or a primary care physician in the community, who will conduct a blood test.
The vast majority of mosquitoes do not carry West Nile,” says Dr. Powis, also an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.
“Be careful during peak times and follow preventative precautions to enjoying the remaining weeks of summer.”