Health Officials Confirm Two Human Cases of West Nile Virus in Alberta
August 14, 2006
CALGARY (CP) – Health officials are reporting the first two human cases of West Nile virus in Alberta this year.
Both are adult females and have symptoms of West Nile non-neurological syndrome, also called West Nile fever. One was reported in Palliser Health Region in southeastern Alberta and the other was reported in the Chinook Health Region of southwestern Alberta.
The results were confirmed by the Alberta Provincial Laboratory for Public Health.
Chinook Health officials say they are also looking into an asymptomatic case detected through blood donor screening, but it hasn’t been confirmed by lab tests.
Since 2003, Palliser Health Region has recorded 138 cases of West Nile infection while Chinook Health has had 40 cases.