Simcoe Muskoka health officials warn about rising cases of Lyme disease

Lyme Disease is on the rise in central Ontario

With summer in full swing many are outside enjoying the weather around Simcoe-Muskoka, and while the weather is nice, more residents are reporting finding ticks on them after a day outside.

Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health and CEO of Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU), said tick cases continue to increase.

“In 2023, they had 1,800 cases of Lyme disease just over that figure. And that’s gone up about six-fold over a decade. So that shows you the trajectory, the upward swing of this and here in Simcoe Muskoka, we had 47 cases in 2024,” Gardner said.

Lyme Disease and Symptoms

A tick can be as small as a poppy seed and grow depending on how long the bug is latched onto someone’s skin. A tick can also carry diseases like Lyme disease.

“Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by a tick. Blackleg tick, to be precise, and has been becoming more and more common in southern Ontario, specifically, here in Simcoe Muskoka, over the last two to three decades,” Gardner noted.

If a tick is latched onto a person’s skin it could take weeks for symptoms to develop, including a rash where the tick was.

“You can also develop broader symptoms, such as a fever, muscle aches and pains, joint inflammation, perhaps a stiff neck,” explained Gardner. “If it remains longer, 30 days or more, you can end up with paralysis of the lower portion of your face, something they call a Bell’s palsy that can be on one side or both sides, It can have inflammation of the heart, can develop something called a heart block with a slowing of the heart, arthritis and some neurological symptoms as well, inflammation of the brain, so it’s quite serious as it progresses on.”

The medical officer of health advised seeking medical attention if a tick has been latched longer than 24 hours.

Prevention

There are ways to help reduce the risk of a tick latching onto a person, including staying out of heavily weeded or long grass and covering yourself if you are outdoors in similar areas.

Checking yourself and children is also heavily recommended.

“Typically, you take a device, tweezers and basically you’re clamping at from the mouth parts that are right in - going into the skin and carefully with firm pressure, pulling it out so that you get it out entirely,” said Gardner.

Ticks and Pets

While tick cases are trending upwards in Simcoe-Muskoka, they are also becoming more common in pets.

Dr. Virginia Cornell, veterinarian at Aldergrove Animal Clinic in Barrie, said the increase in ticks on dogs is increasing. “The per cent of tick-transmitted disease that we’re seeing this year has increased, probably about 400 per cent over what we saw in previous years.”

She added that ticks are becoming larger in size and with climate becoming warmer there is no die-off.

Unlike humans who can show symptoms over a few weeks, it’s a different scenario for dogs.

Symptoms in Pets

“If you don’t find the tick right away on your dog, you probably aren’t going to notice the symptoms yourself until your pet starts to show signs,” said Cornell. “Vague signs of illness, and you end up here seeking medical attention as the symptoms could vary anywhere from your pet, just not feeling well. We might notice a fever. We might notice joint swelling or lameness.”

During walks, dogs should avoid heavy brush and long grass. There are also vaccines to help your pets which Cornell said can be treated year-round.

Tick Removal

“The most common place that you’re going to find ticks are around the face, neck, feet area,” said Dr. Cornell. “So, check well and if you find a tick, remove it right away. And then if you know that your pet has had a tick bite, a tick exposure about six to eight weeks later, bring your pet in for blood testing so we can see if your pet was exposed to any of the diseases that ticks can transmit.”

When removing the tick, its important to remove the tick completely without killing it.

“Ticks are known to regurgitate as they die and the pathogens that they carry are usually contained in their saliva and their stomach contents, so you don’t want to kill the tick during the removal process,” said Cornell.

Once the tick is removed safely both Gardner and Cornell emphasized the importance of taking a picture of the tick and submit it online so it can be categorized by species and location where it was found.