Your risk of getting West Nile from a mosquito bite is increasing as the fall weather approaches.
Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit Medical Officer of Health Doctor Charles Gardner says mosquitoes become even more active during this seasonal transition.
“People may feel, with the end of summer approaching, that the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes is reduced,” says Gardner. “However, late summer and early fall is the time when the risk of acquiring West Nile virus from a bite actually increases.”
The health unit recently confirmed a person living just south of Muskoka has been infected with West Nile virus. West Nile can cause fever, headaches, nausea, muscle stiffness and can be deadly to people with weak immune systems and the elderly.
Garnder says the best way to protect yourself is to defend against mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved light-coloured clothing when out in the bush. Mosquitoes are also most active around dusk and dawn.