TORONTO – A recent study has tracked a dramatic increase in the number of ticks carrying Lyme disease in Canada, and points to the risk of an epidemic in southern provinces in the coming decade.
Climate change is thought to be a significant factor in the increase of Lyme-carrying ticks, as temperature is the most important determinant of environmental suitability for the establishment of tick populations, according to the report.
Environment Canada’s senior climatologist Dave Phillips says that while many Canadians are happy with the extremely mild winter and spring we’ve experienced this year, the cold temperatures of the past are actually good for killing ticks, thereby preventing disease.
“One of the concerns of climate change is that we’re going to see a whole new host of diseases coming in a country that is already the second coldest in the world,” says Phillips.
“And of course with warmer conditions, with warmer winters, it’s only going to increase the spread of the tick and the potential for Lyme’s disease,” he says. “So that along with other diseases are going to be more common to us because our climate is changing very dramatically.”
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The report, published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology, warns that by 2020, 80 per cent of eastern Canada’s population will live in areas with established tick populations (up from 18 per cent in 2010).
Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Dr. Nick Ogden explains the tick that transmits Lyme disease typically lives in woodlands.
“Unless you’ve actually got a house built in a woodland or unless you’re actually working in a woodland, it is very much a disease of people who are taking part in leisure activities, or living or working in those woodland habitats where the ticks are,” he says.
Dr. Ogden’s tips for preventing Lyme disease include wearing long pants and tucking them into your socks to prevent ticks from climbing up your leg.
“If you wear light trousers you can see the ticks crawling on your trousers,” he adds. “And if you wear DEET containing products, that will protect you to some extent against the tick as much it will protect you against diseases such as West Nile.”
Dr. Ogden says you can check yourself for ticks after being in wooded areas, and if you remove the tick within 24 to 48 hours, infection will be avoided in most cases.
“It’s true that certainly dogs are very efficient in collecting ticks in the environment, and so they can carry ticks into the home. So treating your dog for ticks, as well, is probably a good idea.”
An early sign of the disease is a red, ring-shaped rash that reaches five centimeters or more in diameter. Chills, fever, headaches, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes as well as muscle and joint pain may also be experienced three days to one month after infection.
Dr. Ogden says Lyme disease is successfully treated with antibiotics, particularly if caught early.
According to the PHAC website, if untreated, the second stage of the disease can last up to several months and include:
• Central and peripheral nervous system disorders
• Multiple skin rashes
• Arthritis and arthritic symptoms
• Heart palpitations
• Extreme fatigue and general weakness
Fatalities from Lyme disease are rare, but third stage symptoms including neurological problems and recurring arthritis can last months to years if the infection remains untreated.
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