The Eastern Ontario Health Unit said Sept. 2 that the year’s first human case of West Nile virus had been confirmed in its region.
The health unit’s public statement did not identify the person or the community where the case was reported. No public source identifies a connection between the case and Russell Township.
The confirmation followed a Sept. 1 EOHU update that said a bird in its area had tested positive for the virus and that there had then been no confirmed human cases. The updates were sequential, not conflicting.
Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, the EOHU’s medical officer of health, said the case shows infected mosquitoes are transmitting the virus to people and animals, and urged residents to take precautions while mosquitoes remain active into the fall.
West Nile virus is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The EOHU says the risk of illness is low for most people, but the virus can cause serious illness in some cases.
The health unit advises residents to wear protective clothing when mosquitoes are most active, consider using mosquito repellent according to directions, and use netting or screened structures when sleeping outdoors.
Residents can also reduce mosquito breeding sites around their homes by emptying standing water from outdoor containers, changing birdbath water weekly, maintaining pools, clearing eavestroughs and drains, and checking low-lying areas and flat roofs for pooled water.
Correction — Sept. 8, 2026: An earlier version described reports on a human case as conflicting. The EOHU updates reported Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 were successive updates: the health unit reported no confirmed human case on Sept. 1, then confirmed its first human case of the year on Sept. 2. This version also makes clear that the EOHU did not name a community.