West Nile fear grips Toronto

Health officials are urging calm after two birds tested positive for the deadly West Nile virus in Ontario, and as two new human cases of encephalitis were confirmed in the U.S.

A crow found in Windsor tested positive on Friday for the potentially deadly virus, which can be passed to humans via mosquitoes that have bitten infected birds. On Sunday, tests also detected the virus in a dead blue jay found in Oakville.

Toronto's West Nile virus hotline was inundated with calls yesterday as news of the infected Oakville bird spread. The results, while not yet conclusive, had health workers in Canada's biggest city scrambling to keep the public informed.

"Last week we had only a handful of calls related to the West Nile virus, this week we're calling it busy," said Mary Margaret Crapper, spokeswoman for the Toronto Public Health Information Line.

For the past two months, Toronto has been operating an information line for residents to report dead blue jays and crows, the most common victims of the virus.

Within three hours of the hotline opening yesterday morning, 186 calls were logged by staff.

Ms. Crapper said that once callers are informed that the virus has not been detected in a bird in Toronto -- and that the virus hasn't shown up in a human being anywhere in Canada -- their concerns seem to quell.

"We're getting calls from people reporting birds that have been found, or they are asking questions related to mosquitoes," Ms. Crapper said.

Ten people have died in the U.S. as a result of encephaly, a swelling of the brain caused in rare cases by the virus, including a 73-year-old Atlanta woman who died on Friday. A 64-year-old Florida woman was also diagnosed Aug. 9.

No cases of the virus have yet been confirmed in Canada. The two birds have been sent for confirmation tests at Health Canada's national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg. Results are expected in a week.

Last summer, a crow found in Windsor initially tested positive for West Nile, but confirmatory tests came back negative. Officials are hoping that will be the case now.

Until those tests are back, John Letherby, spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of Health, said the ministry is in "surveillance mode," disseminating information to the public.

"It's not a cause for alarm," cautioned Mr. Letherby. "We're looking at two birds out of a total of 800 that have been sent away for testing in the past year, so if you're looking at a batting average, that's pretty good."

Officials recommend that people stay away from mosquito-heavy areas, or wear long-sleeved shirts and insect repellent containing the chemical diethyl toluamide (DEET).

They also suggest regularly clearing standing water, such as in bird baths around the home.

Meanwhile, Quebec is on guard for any cross-border infections. In June, the Quebec national assembly passed Bill 15, which enables health officials to use aerial spraying of pesticides if West Nile virus becomes a public health hazard.

The disease has so far not turned up in Quebec, confirmed Quebec Health Ministry spokesman Alain Vezina. He said that since May, 3,366 bird carcasses and 18,000 captured mosquitoes have been tested, with all results negative.

He said aerial spraying would be used only if a large number of birds were to be infected in a concentrated area and if there were signs that the virus had reached humans too.

Environmental groups are strongly opposed to the spraying of pesticides for what they see as a mild risk.

-- with files from The Canadian Press