Estrie leads Quebec in Lyme disease infections

Statistics from the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, dated July 24, show that Lyme disease is gaining ground in the Eastern Townships but remains rare in Memphremagog and Coaticook.

No fewer than 43 new cases have recorded in Brome-missisquoi and Haute-yamaska during the first seven months of 2017. There were 65 cases reported for Québec as a whole, 55 of which were acquired in Quebec during the same period.

By 2016, the Public Health Department had identified 20 cases of Lyme disease in the Eastern Townships by the same date, of whom no fewer than 18 lived in the MRCS of Brome-missisquoi or Haute-yamaska.

According to an assessment drawn up by the CIUSSS of Estrie - CHUS for the year 2016, Lyme disease was 12 times more present in the Eastern Townships than in the rest of Quebec. That year, 75 of the 179 Quebecers who contracted the disease lived in the Estrie region. And 93 per cent of those were found at the Haute-yamaska Local Service Network (36 cases) or at La Pommeraie / Bromemissisquoi (34 cases). These two territories alone account for 40 per cent of cases in Quebec.

The Public Health bulletin reports that he incidence rate of Lyme disease is 64.8 / 100,000 inhabitants in La Pommeraie district and 36.1 / 100,000 inhabitants in the Upper Yamaska. By way of comparison, in 2014, highly endemic states in the United States reported incidences of confirmed cases from 11.7 to 87.9 per 100,000. "

Lyme disease is transmitted by the tick of the species I. scapularis infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Infection is first noticed by the appearance of a red patch on the skin. It appears 3 to 30 days after the bite and grows day by day. If treated quickly, the disease has few consequences for humans, but symptoms can increase and worsen if treatment is delayed.

In the absence of antibiotic treatment, the nervous system of patients can be affected and symptoms can include paralysis of the face or swelling of the joints. More rarely, it can cause a heart attack. The disease meanwhile affects heart rate. It is estimated that less than 20 per cent of ticks carry the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease. Prevention To prevent the transmission of Lyme disease, Public Health recommends that people protect themselves with an insect repellent containing DEET. When returning from a hike or outside work, it is very important to inspect one’s skin, since the bite is painless.

If a tick is found, it should be removed as quickly as possible with tweezers. Otherwise the insect clings to the skin for four or five days and studies show that transmission of the bacteria takes place after one or two days. An immediate removal of the tick prevents the disease.