Temperatures are starting to chill in northwestern Ontario this fall, however officers say tick exercise remains to be on the rise and folks spending time outdoor want to stay vigilant.
Twenty-one blacklegged ticks had been submitted to the Thunder Bay District Well being Unit (TBDHU) between the top of September and the top of October. That is about the identical variety of ticks submitted to the general public well being company at first of the spring season.
“I am fairly involved as a result of … folks appear to assume that ‘oh, effectively, now that we have had a frost, there’s going to be no downside.’ And there’s a downside as a result of the backlegged ticks are formally energetic right down to 4 levels.” mentioned Ken Deacon, entomologist and TBDHU vector-borne illness program coordinator.
Deacon mentioned it is vital to take precautions to stop tick bites, because the blacklegged tick is the first vector of the 4 tick-borne illnesses, together with Lyme illness, Powassan virus, and Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis.
This fall, TBDHU submitted eight ticks to the Nationwide Microbiology Laboratory for testing, and 5 examined optimistic for Lyme illness. One of many ticks additionally examined optimistic for a brand new species of micro organism that additionally causes Lyme illness.
Deacon known as the outcomes “surprising,” including the share of an infection is increased than previously, however nonetheless not file breaking.
Blacklegged ticks had been first recognized within the Thunder Bay District in 2005, and now the world is taken into account a threat space by Public Well being Ontario, together with Kenora and Wet River areas.
The proportion of blacklegged ticks within the Thunder Bay space contaminated with Lyme illness was greater than 40 per cent as of 2023, however a lot of the ticks discovered within the district space are wooden ticks, which don’t carry Lyme illness.
Dr. Ken Deacon, coordinator of the vector borne illness program with the Thunder Bay District Well being Unit (courtesy of Ken Deacon)
Deacon mentioned a harsh and lengthy lasting chilly snap with no snow would assist to manage the tick inhabitants, however these circumstances have gotten much less frequent because the local weather continues to vary.
“It means it goes to develop. They’re heading north,” mentioned Deacon, speaking in regards to the affect of local weather change on tick populations. “It is one thing I am afraid that we’ll need to study to stay with,” he added.
Local weather change and enhance in ticks affect wildlife
A biologist with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters mentioned the altering local weather and a rise within the tick inhabitants can be a rising concern for some wildlife within the Thunder Bay space.
The tick-borne illness affect on wildlife is low, however some species like wolves, coyotes and birds may be affected.
Matthew Robbins, a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, defined that animals like deer and moose are extra affected by ticks as a parasite, which might affect their survival charge.
“Particularly in excessive tick years, which have gotten increasingly frequent, fawns are discovered with simply infestations round their eyes they usually’re blind, or simply very weak due to blood loss and issues like that,” mentioned Robbins.
Pictured right here is an grownup blacklegged tick. Ticks can vary in measurement from a poppy seed within the nymph stage to a pea when they’re filled with blood. Wooden ticks are bigger in measurement than the blacklegged ticks. (Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Pictures)
Robbins mentioned the “explosion” of winter tick inhabitants as a result of altering local weather is extra of a menace for animals like moose within the Thunder Bay space, particularly the moose calves.
“It is actually an terrible sight to see,” mentioned Robbins. “If you happen to get a moose calf, it may be coated in hundreds, lots of of hundreds of those winter ticks. And it will probably develop into so weakened by the blood loss that it dies or turns into very susceptible to different stressors or dangers.”
Robbins mentioned hunters can report tick-infested animals to the Ministry of Pure Sources, or to the Canadian Wildlife Well being Cooperative.
Officers are recommending folks completely examine clothes, pores and skin, and pets for ticks from the beginning of spring via the fall.
Extra details about figuring out ticks and stopping bites may be discovered on the Thunder Bay District Well being Unit web site.
If a blacklegged tick is discovered, the well being unit recommends folks name (807) 625-5900 or toll-free at 1-888-294-6630 to talk with a public well being inspector.
