Zika virus in Canada
Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean makes it the world's second-largest country by total area and the fourth-largest country by land area. Canada's border with the United States is the world's longest land border.
As of 7 March 2016, twenty Canadians were tested positive for Zika virus in Canada, all contracted abroad. Two people in British Columbia, one in Alberta and a one in Quebec have contracted the Zika virus.
The good news is that the Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which spread Zika virus cannot survive in Canadian weather. The mosquitoes which are found in U.S. states of Texas and Florida cannot travel to Canada, as they usually can travel between 2 and 5 km.
As there are two reported cases of spread of Zika virus through blood transfusion, the Canadian Blood Services has asked donors who traveled outside Canada, the continental USA and Europe to delay blood donation by at least 21 days.
Ontario
On 19 February 2016, the first Zika case in Ontario has been confirmed. The individual traveled to Colombia where the patient contracted the virus. The Public Health Ontario received positive results from the test and was confirmed by the province's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The gender of the person is not revealed but the officials said the person is not pregnant.
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