MikeLigalig.com

By Anne Kyle, Leader-Post

The West Nile virus is reported to have been a contributory factor in two more deaths -- a man and a woman -- in southern Saskatchewan this month.

The latest victims were from the Saskatoon and Sunrise (Yorkton) health regions. The first victim was a woman in her 80s who lived in the Sun Country Health Region in southeast Saskatchewan. All three had underlying chronic medical conditions, according to Dr. Ross Findlater, chief medical health officer for the province.

"Our West Nile numbers on the Web site have increased by 308 compared to last week. We are up to 647 (confirmed and suspected) cases this summer,'' Findlater told reporters on Friday.

"We are quite aware that there is still some risks in the province. We had a reminder last week because we had three people test positive who were donating blood. The blood was taken out of the system, so it is not really a safety problem at all. But it is a sign to people in Saskatchewan that although we are past the period of peak risk, there is still a risk.

source: canada.com