Vector-borne Disease Surveillance in Canada, 2024
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Issue: Volume 52-3, March 2026: Vaccine Safety: Uptake and Hesitancy
Date published: March 2026
ISSN: 1481-8531
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Volume 52-3, March 2026: Vaccine Safety: Uptake and Hesitancy
Infographic
Vector-borne Disease Surveillance in Canada, 2024
Text description: Infographic
West Nile Virus
In 2024, 190 cases of West Nile virus (WNV) were reported.
The WNV disease was reported more in males, representing 64% of cases, compared with females, who accounted for 36%. People 60 years and older also had a higher risk of disease.
Other mosquito-borne diseases reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada included four cases of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). The year 2024 had the highest number of EEEV cases reported in one year in Canada.
The WNV case counts in 2024 were higher than the five-year average from 2019 to 2023, which was 82 cases.
| Year | Cases | Rate (Females) |
Rate (Males) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 85 | 0.22 | 0.25 |
| 2016 | 116 | 0.28 | 0.36 |
| 2017 | 203 | 0.43 | 0.68 |
| 2018 | 437 | 1.06 | 1.29 |
| 2019 | 44 | 0.11 | 0.12 |
| 2020 | 167 | 0.43 | 0.45 |
| 2021 | 46 | 0.13 | 0.12 |
| 2022 | 47 | 0.09 | 0.15 |
| 2023 | 104 | 0.22 | 0.30 |
| 2024 | 190 | 0.32 | 0.58 |
Geographic Distribution
Thirteen WNV cases, or about 6% likely acquired their infection outside of Canada.
The remaining 177 cases were likely infected in Canada.
| Province | Cases |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | 2 |
| Alberta | 0 |
| Saskatchewan | 5 |
| Manitoba | 12 |
| Ontario | 81 |
| Québec | 77 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | 0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 |
| New Brunswick | 0 |
| Nunavut | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 |
| Yukon | 0 |
| Total | 177 |
Other mosquito-borne diseases
The EEEV cases were reported in Ontario and Québec.
Seasonality
The majority, or 86%, of cases infected in Canada had an illness onset in August or September, with 95% having an illness onset between July and September.
| Month | Cases |
|---|---|
| January | 0 |
| February | 0 |
| March | 0 |
| April | 0 |
| May | 0 |
| June | 1 |
| July | 14 |
| August | 79 |
| September | 51 |
| October | 6 |
| November | 0 |
| December | 0 |
| Total | 151 |
Lyme disease
In 2024, 5,809 cases of Lyme disease were reported. Disease rates were higher among males, people aged 60–79, and children aged 5–9, compared to the other age groups.
In 2024, 673 cases of anaplasmosis were reported. More cases were reported among males and people aged 60 to 79 years.
Other tick-borne diseases reported included 10 babesiosis cases and three Powassan virus disease case.
The 2024 Lyme disease case counts were higher than the five-year average from 2019 to 2023, which was 2,942 cases.
| Year | Cases | Rate (Females) |
Rate (Males) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 917 | 2.16 | 2.98 |
| 2016 | 992 | 2.43 | 3.06 |
| 2017 | 2,025 | 4.44 | 6.45 |
| 2018 | 1,487 | 3.14 | 4.25 |
| 2019 | 2,636 | 5.88 | 8.09 |
| 2020 | 1,617 | 3.71 | 4.79 |
| 2021 | 3,147 | 7.11 | 9.33 |
| 2022 | 2,525 | 5.91 | 7.02 |
| 2023 | 4,785 | 10.15 | 13.67 |
| 2024 | 5,809 | 12.38 | 15.72 |
Geographic Distribution
About 3% of Lyme disease cases with available information were likely infected during travel outside of Canada. Cases reported by Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador were travel-related only.
| Province | Cases |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | 21 |
| Alberta | 31 |
| Saskatchewan | 2 |
| Manitoba | 84 |
| Ontario | 2,369 |
| Québec | 834 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 3 |
| Nova Scotia | 2,350 |
| Prince Edward Island | 4 |
| New Brunswick | 111 |
| Nunavut | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 |
| Yukon | 0 |
| Total | 5,809 |
Other tick-bone diseases
Of the 673 anaplasmosis cases, over 93% were reported in Nova Scotia (69%) and Ontario (24%).
Seasonality
Over half (54%) of all cases had an illness onset in June or July with 90% having an onset date between May and October.
| Month | Cases |
|---|---|
| January | 14 |
| February | 15 |
| March | 17 |
| April | 31 |
| May | 141 |
| June | 439 |
| July | 409 |
| August | 203 |
| September | 119 |
| October | 103 |
| November | 53 |
| December | 28 |
| Total | 1,572 |
For more information visit the Vector-borne Disease Surveillance in Canada dashboard pages: https://health-infobase.canada.ca/?category=Zoonoses
