Tick population surging in southern Ontario

Ontario has seen a surge in ticks. Dr. Nicola Mercer tells us why and what you should do if you find one feeding on you or your pet.

Health officials said it might be a bad season for ticks and, so far, that warning has panned out.

“We’ve actually seen a significant increase,” said Dr. Nicola Mercer, the medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. “Every year we do what we call tick dragging, which is basically taking a white cloth and dragging it through the fields, looking for ticks. Last year we did 11 sites and we only found 18 ticks. This year we did two sites and found almost 170 ticks. That’s huge difference.”

The bacteria that causes Lyme disease and other illnesses like anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus, are carried by blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks). It is transferred to humans through the arachnid’s bite as they feed off their host’s blood.

“We’re seeing that the number of ticks that are being reported by physicians, or by people through our tick surveillance, has really gone up a lot,” Mercer told CTV News. “And we’re not just finding more ticks. When we actually take the ticks that we collected and sent them off for testing, we know that anywhere between 40 and 55 per cent of these ticks are infected with the organism that causes Lyme disease.”

The reasons for the swelling tick population are complicated, but experts believe it stems from factors like climate change, bird migration and expanding mice and deer groups.

Whatever the reason, Mercer said the situation has changed dramatically over the last decade.

Preventing ticks

Look for ticks on your body after spending time outdoors.

“Check places you might not think to look, like behind your knees, your groin, your armpits, and even your hairline,” Mercer suggested.

More tips for preventing tick bites:

• Wear light coloured clothing so it’s easier to spot ticks
• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants tucked into your socks and closed-toed shoes
• Use insect repellent with DEET or icaridin in it
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks after being outdoors
• Remove ticks promptly
• Put clothes on high heat in the dryer for at least 10 minutes before washing clothing after spending time outdoors
• Stay on marked trails and avoid tall grass, brush, leaf litter and trail edges, where ticks are commonly found

How to remove ticks

Anyone bitten by a blacklegged tick or any tick they cannot identify, and who feels unwell, should contact their health care provider or family doctor.

Public health shared these tips for removing the arachnids:

• Use fine-pointed tweezers to grab the tick’s head and mouth as close to your skin as possible
• Pull slowly
• Do not twist or rotate and try not to damage it
• Place the tick in a small, sealed bag or a container with a lid
• Thoroughly wash the area with soap and water

Public health also suggested watching this how-to video from Health Canada.

Symptoms of Lyme disease

Experts said symptoms of Lyme disease can show up three days to one month after an infected tick bite.

“One of the markers of Lyme disease is what we call the bull’s eye rash. It can be subtle, or it can be extremely obvious,” said Mercer.

The signs include:

• Rash (a round red patch that keeps getting bigger, which can appear bruise-like on darker skin)
• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Muscle aches and joint pains
• Fatigue (more than usual)
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Spasms, numbness or tingling
• Facial paralysis

Tracking ticks

People can also submit a photo to eTick.ca or through the eTick app, so experts can identify the type of tick. The free service also has a map showing areas where ticks have been reported across Canada.