West Nile Virus prevention program starts across Barrie

The City of Barrie's larviciding program to help control larval mosquitoes starts Monday.

The City is working alongside the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit to prevent larval mosquitoes from developing into vectors of the West Nile Virus.

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Crews will place a pellet formulation into municipally-owned storm drain catch basins across the city from now until the end of October.

Before the program started, crews cleaned catch basins to ensure they are free of sediment and water and that larvicide won't be flushed out.

Health officials said the presence of the West Nile Virus is unpredictable year to year, but some factors increase the probability of its arrival in a region.

In August 2022, a dead bird tested positive for West Nile Virus in Simcoe County, but no human cases were reported.

The health unit says the virus is rare both locally and provincially, with between zero and seven confirmed and probable cases in Simcoe County and Muskoka each year over the past two decades.