The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
An early positive lab result for West Nile Virus is being investigated in Saskatchewan. The infected individual was feeling ill in May, but has since recovered fully. If confirmed, it will be the first human case in Canada this year. "We are making this announcement because it will take some time to confirm the infection and we feel it is better to get the information out as soon as possible," Saskatchewan's Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Ross Findlater said. It would be highly unusual to have an infection this early. Findlater said it is possible that this person was infected last year without knowing it, and became ill this spring with something else that caused symptoms similar to West Nile Virus. The West Nile Virus antibodies can stay within a person's blood stream for at least 500 days in some individuals. There is also a small possibility that the person may have been bitten by a West Nile Virus infected mosquito that over-wintered and came out of hibernation in the warm days of late April.
