July 15, 2008
It has now been over two months since I started at the Health Unit. Before this job, I have to admit that I didn’t have a very good idea of the vastness of areas that are covered by public health in Perth County. Did you know, for example, that you can call in and get travel health advice specific to your trip? For example, if you are going south for the winter, a public health nurse will give you information about any diseases present in the country you are visiting and make sure that you are vaccinated and informed to ensure a safe and healthy visit. Another interesting fact is that many public places in perth county that you may visit are inspected by public health inspectors. These places include restaurants, public pools, and beauty salons/tattoo parlors. There are certain rules and standards which must be met for a business to open and remain open. I have realized there are people watching out for our health and we may not even know it.
In fact…I’m one of those people! I’m hoping to make you aware of the risk of West Nile virus so that you can protect yourself from mosquitoes and help stop them from breeding. I’ve been busy distributing posters around Stratford this morning. This is the third poster run I’ve done in the past two weeks and I hope my efforts are paying off. Please keep an eye out for colourful West Nile posters around the community and do me a favour…take a minute to read them. I know that we are always being bombarded with information and advertising but I assure you that it is worth your while to know how to protect yourself from mosquito bites!
I want to thank everyone who has called in to report dead birds. We have sent in 8 birds so far and all have come back negative for West Nile, which is great news. There was a significant increase in the number of mosquitoes I trapped this week, but none were positive for West Nile. Perhaps you heard the news from Toronto? They have found a positive mosquito. So if you’re planning any trips to the T dot make sure you bring your repellent. Until next time…clean up and cover up!
Joanna MacDonald
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Trapping 101
Another week has come and gone. How fast time flies! This week I was in Mitchell and Listowel doing mosquito trapping. It’s a beautiful drive out there. While I was picking up one of the traps in Listowel, a woman approached me to ask what the trap was. (They do look kind of strange hanging on the tree branches.) I explained to the woman that part of the trap is a container that holds dry ice. This ice sublimates (goes from solid directly to gas) so that carbon dioxide gas is released. The carbon dioxide is what attracts the mosquitoes…and boy does it work. The minute I take a container out and start walking with it, I can hear the annoying buzzing sound in my ear! (Don’t worry…I was wearing my long sleeves and long pants.)
So if you put two and two together you can figure out why mosquitoes are attracted to us: initially they sense the CO2 we breathe out. They follow the trail and then when they get closer they can see us and smell us. Also, they are attracted to dark clothes, so try and wear light colours this summer. The way that insect repellents work is by preventing a mosquito from sensing a host. I would also suggest wearing insect repellent with DEET if you are in the woods for a hike or camping. The alternative would be holding your breath… and that may not end very well!
Before I sign off for the week I wanted to give you a quick update on West Nile virus activity in the province. So far there has been one pool of mosquitoes that tested positive for WNV in Windsor and one positive dead crow found in Sarnia. In Perth County, we have tested four birds, but they were all negative for WNV. Phew!
Have a mosquito free week and until next time remember…clean up and cover up.
Joanna
So if you put two and two together you can figure out why mosquitoes are attracted to us: initially they sense the CO2 we breathe out. They follow the trail and then when they get closer they can see us and smell us. Also, they are attracted to dark clothes, so try and wear light colours this summer. The way that insect repellents work is by preventing a mosquito from sensing a host. I would also suggest wearing insect repellent with DEET if you are in the woods for a hike or camping. The alternative would be holding your breath… and that may not end very well!
Before I sign off for the week I wanted to give you a quick update on West Nile virus activity in the province. So far there has been one pool of mosquitoes that tested positive for WNV in Windsor and one positive dead crow found in Sarnia. In Perth County, we have tested four birds, but they were all negative for WNV. Phew!
Have a mosquito free week and until next time remember…clean up and cover up.
Joanna
What's the Buzz?
It’s hard to believe it has almost been two months since I started my summer job at the Perth District Health Unit. My name is Joanna and I’m spending my summer as a public health employee as the West Nile Virus student.
To be honest with you, I had no idea what to expect for my summer job. However, after getting acquainted with the program and public health, I’ve quickly eased into it. This summer, I’ll be responsible for three main areas – bird surveillance, mosquito trapping and public education. These three areas allow us to track West Nile Virus in the community and bring awareness to people about cleaning up and covering up.
I’ve picked up my fair share of dead crows and blue jays and I’ve set a number of traps, but I haven’t come across any WNV activity in Stratford, St. Marys or across Perth County as of yet. Hopefully this means that you are all cleaning up standing water so that mosquitoes can’t breed! Even though the hype has gone down somewhat and you may think West Nile Virus isn’t a big threat, it’s a good idea to keep protecting yourself.
But back to the bird pick up…I have to admit I was unsure about how the dead bird collection would go. Picking up dead birds doesn’t sound like the most glamorous of summer jobs! But it’s not that bad! It’s simple and a great way to detect the first signs of WNV in a region. Some people are disgusted by the thought of picking up a dead bird. I just tell myself I am doing a good duty for my cities and county and may possibly be saving someone’s life. Okay…so I may be a bit overdramatic! You can’t get WNV from a bird so it isn’t that dangerous of a deed.
Over the next while I will keep you posted on what’s happening in the County and entertain you with tales of trapping so keep on reading. Until next time...remember to clean up and cover up!
Joanna
To be honest with you, I had no idea what to expect for my summer job. However, after getting acquainted with the program and public health, I’ve quickly eased into it. This summer, I’ll be responsible for three main areas – bird surveillance, mosquito trapping and public education. These three areas allow us to track West Nile Virus in the community and bring awareness to people about cleaning up and covering up.
I’ve picked up my fair share of dead crows and blue jays and I’ve set a number of traps, but I haven’t come across any WNV activity in Stratford, St. Marys or across Perth County as of yet. Hopefully this means that you are all cleaning up standing water so that mosquitoes can’t breed! Even though the hype has gone down somewhat and you may think West Nile Virus isn’t a big threat, it’s a good idea to keep protecting yourself.
But back to the bird pick up…I have to admit I was unsure about how the dead bird collection would go. Picking up dead birds doesn’t sound like the most glamorous of summer jobs! But it’s not that bad! It’s simple and a great way to detect the first signs of WNV in a region. Some people are disgusted by the thought of picking up a dead bird. I just tell myself I am doing a good duty for my cities and county and may possibly be saving someone’s life. Okay…so I may be a bit overdramatic! You can’t get WNV from a bird so it isn’t that dangerous of a deed.
Over the next while I will keep you posted on what’s happening in the County and entertain you with tales of trapping so keep on reading. Until next time...remember to clean up and cover up!
Joanna
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