Edmonton kids experiencing ‘skeeter syndrome’ this wet, hot summer – Edmonton

A swelling mosquito population due to all the water that’s fallen this summer has led to more hospital visits for children experiencing skeeter syndrome — an intense, localized allergic reaction to mosquito saliva.

Dr. Andrew Dixon, an emergency room physician at Stollery Children’s Hospital, said they’ve been treating five or six children a day with the condition.

He added that skeeter syndrome is more common in children and appears worse in the beginning of the season.

“Your body kind of gets used to it over time and stops reacting as much,” Dixon said. He said the condition isn’t dangerous and antihistamines are effective in treating it.

Mike Jenkins, a senior scientist with the City of Edmonton, said the number of mosquitoes in the city in mid-July is 15 times higher compared with this time last year.

“It’s definitely the largest number of mosquitoes we’ve had in the last decade,” Jenkins said.

“But that being said, it also has been one of our driest decades on record — until now.”

Alberta’s capital city has broken the record for its wettest summer, bringing with it flooding and the relentless mosquitoes.

Edmonton has been saturated by 580 millimetres of rain as of Tuesday morning, beating the record set in 1953 with 417 millimetres from June through August.

Edmonton is also on track to record the wettest July — and month — on record.

The record for precipitation for July is 282 millimetres set in 1901 and, as of Tuesday, the city has recorded 260.7 millimetres, according to Environment Canada.

— With files from Fakiha Baig and Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press

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