Blood Sample in Quebec Comes Back Positive for West Nile Virus

MONTREAL (CP) – A blood donation collected Wednesday by the agency that controls Quebec’s blood supply has tested positive for the West Nile virus.

None of the blood products connected to the donation were used and Hema-Quebec said Saturday that the donation was destroyed.

The agency says the donor and public health authorities were alerted immediately. The donor hasn’t yet developed any symptoms connected to the virus.

As a result of the positive case, the agency will individually screen all blood donations it collects between Sept. 2-14 during drives in the Montreal region.

Usually, all blood products collected by Hema-Quebec are tested for West Nile only during the summer, the high-risk season for the virus.

If no other cases are detected after the two-week September period, the agency will resume its method of randomly testing certain samples for West Nile.

This is the first time a Quebec sample has tested positive for the virus since the provincial agency began screening for West Nile in 2003.

In Toronto alone there have been 21 reported cases of the disease this year and three people have died from the virus.

Only about 20 per cent of people who become infected with West Nile experience any symptoms.

Most infected people have mild symptoms such as fever, headaches and body aches that may be accompanied by skin rash and swollen glands.

Less than one per cent of infected people become seriously ill with symptoms that include a stiff neck, confusion, severe headache and sudden sensitivity to light.

Those over the age of 55 and people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness.