West Nile Virus has now been confirmed in the Five Hills Health Region (FHHR).

"We've had two pools of mosquitoes (test) positive for West Nile virus in the last two and half weeks," explained FHHR Medical Health Officer, Dr. Mark Vooght. "They are from a rural part of our health region where traps were set."

Vooght didn't specify which rural area in which the positive tests were discovered, and Moose Jaw is the only urban centre in the region that, according to the FHHR website, "serves a population of approximately 54,000 people in an area that extends from Lake Diefenbaker to the United States border."

Vooght says that no human cases have been presented, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't exist.

"A couple of people could have been infected with minimal symptoms," said Vooght, who explained that West Nile symptoms are similar to that of the flu.  "Fever, rash, headache, muscle pain...there is no influenza at this time of year, so it could well be due to West Nile (if you have those symptoms)."

Vooght says in extreme cases, the symptoms can be more severe.

"Weakness or paralysis of part of their body (is a possibility)," said Vooght, who suggests using insect repellant and wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts to avoid being bitten. 

He says that the risk of West Nile will exist until around "mid-September."