Information
April 2003
West Nile virus: Health Canada's Approach for 2003
To prepare for the 2003 West Nile virus season, Health Canada, working together with its
partners, is working on a coordinated national approach, which includes:
Canada-wide Surveillance for West Nile virus
Working with our key stakeholders in the Provincial Ministries of Health, Conservation,
Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of National Defence, Environment Canada,
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre,
Health Canada will again coordinate surveillance for West Nile virus across Canada.
In 2003, surveillance will focus on birds, horses, mosquitoes and people. The reason that
surveillance is so important is that the earlier communities know that West Nile virus
is in their neighbourhoods, the sooner they can take steps to reduce the risk.
Keeping Canada's Blood System Safe from West Nile virus
Health Canada is currently waiting for the submission of a screening test to check for
West Nile virus in donated blood, which is being developed by industry. Once the test is
received, Health Canada will assess it on an urgent basis and, if all goes well, the test
will be in place by July 1st, 2003.
In the meantime, Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec have contingency plans in place
to ensure that Canadians have enough safe blood available until the screening test is ready.
Both blood operators have already begun stockpiling blood and blood components to prepare
for the 2003 mosquito season.
Ensuring that Canadians get West Nile virus test results quickly
Making sure that Canadians get diagnosed quickly to confirm whether or not they have West
Nile virus is a priority. To this end, Health Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory
is providing provincial laboratories with testing technology and training so that they
can diagnose West Nile virus infection in people. This will result in a faster turn-around
time. So far, labs in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta
and British Columbia have been equipped and trained and discussions are ongoing with other
provinces and territories.
Ensuring the safety of Pesticides and Insect Repellents
Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) ensures that all pesticides registered
for use in Canada are properly assessed to determine if they are safe and effective. The
assessment process looks at whether a product is a risk to human health and the environment
and whether it is as effective as manufacturers say it is. The PMRA will not register products
that are ineffective or pose unacceptable risks.
Keeping Canadians Informed
There is much we don't know about this disease and new information is being discovered
everyday. To ensure that Canadians are kept informed, Health Canada has developed public
education materials which will be posted on the department's web site. Some of the topics
covered include symptoms and treatment, diagnosis and testing, steps to take to reduce
personal risk, how WN virus is transmitted, WN virus and animals, etc.
Protecting First Nations Communities
Health Canada is responsible for surveillance, education and prevention of West Nile virus
in First Nations communities. Working with Bands, Chiefs and Councils, the 2003 plan for
the prevention and control of West Nile virus will include surveillance, testing, education
and response strategies to control possible outbreaks.
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