Lyme Disease Cases Reported in Waterloo Region

Do you remember when your biggest summer concerns were sunburns and mosquito bites?

A rising tick population in Ontario is causing more cases of Lyme disease.

Region of Waterloo Public Health has confirmed that ticks collected locally tested positive for the bacterium.

Until this week, there hadn’t been any reported human cases in the Region.

That has now changed.

ROW Public Health is confirming two human cases of Lyme disease and a potential third case.

“What we’ve been seeing is that the number of Lyme disease cases have been gradually increasing over the last five years, both in Ontario and Waterloo Region,” said Bernadette Moussa, Public Health Manager, Health Protection and Healthy Environments, ROW Public Health.

“But this is expected due to the environmental impacts of climate change which has expanded the geographic range of blacklegged ticks across the province,” she added.

No need to worry just yet. With only two confirmed cases, Waterloo Region isn’t at the top when it comes to infections.

According to the Ontario Vector-Borne Disease Tool from Public Health Ontario, Southeastern Public Health, which serves the Kingston area, has reported 141 cases year-to-date with six reported last week alone.

The Ottawa area is also seeing a significant rise in cases, reporting 53 so far this year.

Moussa pointed out that Lyme disease can only be passed to humans by blacklegged ticks infected with a bacterium that causes Lyme. And only after they’ve been attached for at least 24 hours. That makes checking thoroughly after being outdoors even more important.

Removing a tick

Taking off a tick is pretty simple as long as you follow some steps.

The first one is; avoid old-fashioned removal methods like smothering it with petroleum jelly or using heat from a lit match. Why anyone would think that last tip is good should be clear.

Moussa explained that tweezers or a tick removal tool are your best bets.

“You want to make sure you remove the tick’s head and mouth. You don’t want to leave part of the tick still attached that could be feeding on someone’s skin and may be infected.”

The other methods could cause the tick to spit back into the skin, again increasing the risk of getting Lyme if it’s infected.

Once removed, take a picture and submit it to etick. ca, which is a national website for tracking and information about ticks.

They can help identify what kind it was and will log where it was found.

Moussa recommended if you discover that the tick you removed was a blacklegged one, you should reach out to your health care provider.

ROW Public Health does not accept ticks for testing or identification. To avoid getting ticks attached in the first place, it’s suggested to use insect repellent with DEET or Icaridin. Wear light-colored clothing along with long sleeves and pants. It’s also wise advice to stick mostly to trails. Keep it Factual

Add City News Kitchener as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.

Source link