The first human case of West Nile virus has been confirmed in Toronto.
Toronto Public Health officials did not provide any further details, except to say that the laboratory-confirmed case is in an adult.
The finding comes less than two weeks after the public health agency confirmed the presence of the virus in the city on July 18.
Last year, the first human case of the virus was not confirmed until August 16.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says this is the first human case of the virus acquired within the country this year.
PHAC’s West Nile surveillance report says that as of July 12, two other Canadian residents were infected this year while travelling outside of the country.
Its surveillance map shows West Nile detections in two mosquito pools in Ontario and one in Manitoba as of that date.
West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne illness that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people experience mild or no symptoms, the virus can cause serious illness in some cases, particularly in older adults or those with weakened immune systems.
Symptoms typically develop between two and 14 days after a bite from an infected mosquito and may include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph nodes.
Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report
