Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health is getting a better idea of how the area’s tick population is doing and the potential harms it could present to people. A public health team performed a “tick drag” near Erin’s water tower on Thursday morning. The process involves pulling a white cloth along the ground to collect the insects. “We found four today,” Tyler Black, an environmental health specialist, said. “In Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, the health unit has been [dragging] for a few years now, and it really depends on the conditions of the day. It’s really hard to say if that [number of ticks] is normal or not.” Blacklegged ticks that were found during Thursday’s drag were put into tubes and will be sent to a lab for testing. Blacklegged ticks can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. There have been 36 confirmed cases of Lyme disease within Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph so far this year. “I wouldn’t say it’s a high number per se. It’s pretty much on par,” Paul Medeiros, vice president of protection and emergency preparedness with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, said. “I will say that in general, tick activity, as well as the number of cases, have been increasing. However, it is one of those things where we have to get used to the fact that ticks are now a part of our environment. They’re here, but there are many practical things that we can do to address the risks related to ticks.” Prevention methods include wearing full-length pants and long sleeves, tucking clothing in, wearing light coloured-clothing and using a Health Canada approved repellent. The most recent confirmed case of Lyme disease within the health unit’s jurisdiction involved a Rockwood resident between Sept. 6 and Sept. 12, but officials believe they were exposed outside the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph area. The week before that, another confirmed case involved an Orangeville resident. Although the source of that infection is unknown, the resident had been hiking in Orangeville and Caledon and also owns an outdoor pet. Once the team at the water tower wrapped up their work, they headed to two other sites to continue the process. Another team was visiting an additional three sites on Thursday. “It helps us inform the public of precautions that they need to take and how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” Black said. He added ticks can be found almost anywhere. “They can pop off of animals, birds, kind of wherever they feel like it,” he explained. “So, just because this is where we’re identifying ticks, doesn’t mean that they’re not everywhere.” What to do if you find a tick If a tick has attached to a person or a pet, it is important to remove the arachnid as soon as possible using fine-point tweezers or a tick remover. Grab the head of the tick as close to the skin as possible and slowly pull straight out. Try not to twist or squeeze the tick. Ticks embed their mouthparts into the skin of their victims. If the parts break off, try to remove them with tweezers. If you are unable to do so, leave them alone and let the skin heal. Wash the bite area with soap and water or an alcohol based sanitizer. Never try to remove a tick by burning it or smothering it with essential oils, petroleum jelly or nail polish remover. Doing so may cause the bug to release its stomach contents, which can increase the likelihood of infection. More tips are available on Health Canada’s website. Some people who are bitten by a tick may be eligible to receive antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent Lyme disease. Pharmacists can give the precautionary treatment to people who removed a tick within the last 72 hours, picked up the bug from a high risk area where blacklegged ticks have been identified and if the tick was attached for 24 hours or more. In Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, photos of the tick can also be submitted through an online tick photo submission form to help identify the insect. While you wait for your results to come back, store the tick in a small container with rubbing alcohol.
