West Nile Virus arrives in Fraser Valley
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Just two weeks after its discovery in the Okanagan, it appears the West Nile Virus has made its way west to the Fraser Valley.
This week, the presence of the mosquito-borne virus was confirmed in a horse in south Aldergrove.
The animal has not been out of the Valley, meaning the long-expected virus has arrived here.
The horse, which has mild symptoms and is expected to make a full recovery, is being treated by veterinarian Dr. Bob Moats of Clover Valley Veterinary Hospital.
Until recently, B.C. was one of the few areas in North America with no diagnosed cases in horses or humans.
“Hopefully this situation won’t re-start a West Nile panic.
“It could be a one-off situation,” said Moats.
No one at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control could be reached for comment about what the discovery means for humans, but symptoms of West Nile have ranged from undectable to, in rare cases, fatal in people living in affected areas.
For more on the arrival of West Nile Virus, see Anne Patterson’s column, beginning on Page 11.
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