(Blacklegged Ticks (also known as deer ticks or the scientific name Ixodes scapularis) have increased in numbers in our part of the country and continue to do so.)
Entomologists have indicated that with the milder winters being experienced over the past decade this allows the blacklegged ticks to survive the season and they are moving further eastward. Stittsville is currently included in the high-risk area for ticks and Lyme disease. It is strongly recommended that you (and your pets) take every precaution to avoid ticks and the possibility of contracting Lyme disease.
Infectious Diseases Physician and Scientist, Dr. Isaac Bogosh, says, “it is tick season. Lyme is the most common infection transmitted by ticks in Canada, but be on the lookout for Babesia and Anaplasma — two infections that Canada currently knows little about and are under-diagnosed.”
Bogosh also made this important point, “blacklegged ticks feed on and are transported by migratory birds, meaning there is a possibility of encountering an infective blacklegged tick almost anywhere in Ontario.” He referred residents to Public Health Ontario.
He continued, “emergency department and and family physicians need to know if you are ordering a Lyme test you should also be ordering a Babesia and Anaplasma test as co-infection is common in endemic settings (but I appreciate others may have a different opinion here). The Public Health Ontario website has info on how to order these tests. These infections are here. If we don’t look for them, we’ll never find them.”
Also important to note that the map reflects incomplete surveillance. Public Health Ontario notes that ticks may be found all over the province.
But don’t let this information keep you or your pets housebound. You can take many precautions to avoid tick bites when enjoying nature. If you are in a forested or grassy area —
- stay on the path
- wear light coloured clothing that includes a long-sleeved shirt and long pants
- wear socks on your walks and tuck your pants into the socks
- use bug spray with picaridin or DEET
- roll a sticky lint roller over your clothes (and pet as well) before entering the house
- especially important is to do a tick check of your entire body, including in your armpits, groin area, behind your ears and along hairlines where they like to hide
- check out your pet’s neckline, legs, tail, stomach and chest area
If you do find a tick attached, remove it as soon as possible. Contact your doctor if the tick looks engorged or you think has been attached for a long time, to see if you need antibioticstore.online. Some symptoms to watch for are fever, chills, head-ache, almost flu-like symptoms that are often associated with a red target or bulls-eye shaped rash. At times, you may see a tick on your body and not realize it as they can look similar to skin tags.
Lyme disease, and other diseases such as Hantavirus, is carried by the white-footed mouse (or deer mouse). That is, in fact, how ticks get infected. The tiny larva of ticks need to feed on an infected mouse. They then turn to the next phase that is called a nymph (being the size of a poppy seed). It is the nymph that can pass the Lyme disease onto to humans.
