Fighting the bite in Niagara
You could call it a tick uptick. “This season, regarding tick submissions, we are seeing a very busy season in comparison from last year,” Chris Gaspar, a manager of Environmental Health with Niagara Region. “We are very close to our target for the entire year, and that’s still with a few days being left in June, with May and June, typically higher months for tick submissions.”
Gaspar said the health department has already had 1,651 tick submissions about halfway through the year. Last year, the department received 2,039 submissions over 12 months.
“One of the suggestions is the cooler temperatures and the wet weather,” Gaspar said of the increase. “They aren’t fans of the warmer summer weather. They tend to dry out and die in the hot sun.”
There are two different kinds of ticks typically found in Niagara. One, the black-legged tick, can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The other, the dog tick, isn’t harmful. It is just yucky.
The Region runs a testing program for residents who can’t tell the difference, or want to know if the black-legged tick carries the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease.
“They want to know if it is a blacklegged tick,” Gaspar said. “If it is the American dog tick, there is no cause for concern.
“If it is a black-legged tick, they want to know if it is carrying the bacteria that is carrying Lyme disease.
“We have in-house public health inspectors that have the ability to put them under a microscope to determine if it is a black-legged tick or a dog tick. If it is a black-legged tick, we would follow up with the individual and indicate to them if they should seek medical attention from their family physician.”
The black-legged tick often lives in forested areas, is very small and hard to see, and active in the early spring and late fall. In Niagara they are most often found in the Wainfleet bog. They have no white markings on the large part of their body.
Dog ticks, the most common tick in Niagara, has white markings or silver-coloured spots. They are found in areas with long grass and tree cover and are about the size of an apple seed. They are reddish brown in color and active in the spring and summer.
Last year, about 20 per cent of the more than 2,000 ticks submitted to the health department were blacklegged. Of the black-legged ticks checked, 19 per cent of those tested positive for the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease.
The incidents of Lyme disease in Niagara are up from 2014, when there were eight confirmed cases. The number jumped to 14 in 2015 and 14 again in 2016.
The most common symptom of Lyme disease is a rash. Doctors treat it with antibiotics. Severe symptoms can develop if it goes untreated.
“If you see a tick embedded in you, remove it properly with tweezers and being careful not to tear the body out from the head,” Gaspar said. “If you are not comfortable identifying it, contact and submit it to Niagara Region Public Health for further analysis.
“We can identify it within two working days, so it is a quick turnaround time.
“Ultimately, if you are active outdoors, say golfing, you need to do a quick check when you get home just to make sure there aren’t any ticks on your body and to have a shower or bath to wash them away. They can travel on you prior to engorging.
“You hear the stories of the health effects mainly associated with Lyme disease. That’s one of the main concerns.”
If a resident thinks the tick is of the black-legged variety or isn’t comfortable identifying it, he or she can submit it in a clear, dry containers or double Ziploc bag to the Public Health Office, 1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way, in Thorold. There is no cost.