Tick season is right around the corner in Canada! Health officials are raising the alarm over the growing danger posed by these bloodsucking arachnids. The nation has been marking a growing list of more than 40 different species of ticks. Of them, the black-legged tick, or deer tick as it’s often known, has become the most widespread. The abundance of black-legged ticks is increasing at a concerning rate. As a consequence, we are witnessing a real rise in the number of cases of Lyme disease.
According to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, we’ve seen an unprecedented 3000 per cent surge in Lyme disease cases in the last 10 years. Yet in 2009 there were only 144 such documented cases in all of Canada. By 2021, that number had skyrocketed to more than 2,800. This unprecedented wave has worried health professionals from every field, who fear for the future of public health.
Dr. Sarah Keating, standing on behalf of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. She says climate change is helping to drive up the number of ticks and cases of Lyme disease. “Climate change is helping ticks to overwinter and expand into areas that used to be too cold,” she said. When temperatures hit 4 degrees Celsius, ticks come out of their hibernation. They pursue and aggressively seek out a blood meal from birds, mammals or humans.
Long, milder winters are playing a large role in increasing tick survival and population boom. They currently flourish in regions that even just a few decades ago were far too frigid for them to survive. Ticks aren’t limited to rural or wooded environments. You’ll get a very different perspective in more urban settings, like city parkland or private residential backyards.
The bacterium species Borrelia burgdorferi is the cause of Lyme disease. You can develop this disease after an infected tick bites you. Symptoms can differ widely from patient to patient, but can be debilitating, including fatigue, joint pain, and overall flu-like symptoms. If Lyme disease goes untreated for a long time, there can be serious complications that affect the central nervous system.
As far as being outside, Dr. Keating stresses awareness and mindfulness while you spend time outdoors. It’s especially important to perform tick checks after being outside, especially in wooded areas or high grass. We want to remind you to take your tick check as soon as you return inside,” she noted. She advises against going into panic mode, instead recommending a forensically detailed body tick check, focusing particularly on the scalp area. Caregivers and adult family members should thoroughly examine young children, who cannot independently look for ticks.
When a tick is safely removed, people can better assess the situation and make a more informed choice about how to proceed. Justin Wood, another leading authority on tick management, urges people to get ticks tested for diseases. Our recommendation is never to not test, he said. Ticks are a risk we should take seriously, and testing ticks can help patients and their clinicians know what next steps to take after possible exposure.
Even as Lyme disease threatens more Americans than ever before, most victims don’t realize they’ve been bitten by a tick. According to Dr. Keating, “the challenge is that many people aren’t even aware they’ve been bitten.” Ticks can be very tiny and can attach in less-visible places like the scalp or back.
If untreated, the effects of Lyme disease can be devastating. As Dr. Keating cautions, long-term cases of COVID can affect the brain. This can drive a range of mental health issues, from increased anxiety and depression to less common cases of psychosis. If rash or flu-like symptoms develop soon after a tick bite, early treatment with antibiotics is very effective.
Preventative care is really important for humans and pets alike. Dr. Keating reminds pet owners that there are safe medications for dogs to prevent ticks from latching on in the first place. She said there are preventative meds for dogs as well. These can be administered once a month, and some forms every three months to prevent ticks.
Ticks are commonly dispersed through attaching to birds, which helps them travel across wide stretches of land. Justin Wood, a member of the American Bird Conservancy, says that “anywhere that birds can go, ticks can go too.” The combination of greater human mobility allows ticks to expand their ranges not only locally, but over much larger distances.
