REGINA - Unprecedented flooding in parts of the Prairies has created the optimal habitat for mosquitoes, including those likely to carry West Nile virus.
Health officials say flooding, especially in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, has left a lot of shallow, standing water for mosquitoes to call home.
Saskatchewan entomologist Phil Curry says it can be tough to treat all the water areas before mosquitoes emerge.
Dr. Gerry Predy, Alberta's senior medical officer of health, says there have been very few confirmed West Nile cases in the last few summers.
But Predy says people need to remain vigilant about protecting themselves.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reported only five confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in 2010, including two in Saskatchewan and one in Alberta.
