Lyme disease case confirmed
Health unit says diagnosis area’s first of year
The first clinical diagnosis of a Windsor-Essex resident with Lyme disease this year was reported to the local health unit Thursday.
“It was an individual within Windsor-Essex County who had come within the 20 kilometre range of Point Pelee,” local medical officer of health Dr. Gary Kirk said.
Point Pelee National Park is known to have black-legged (deer) ticks and is listed as one of 10 risk areas for Lyme disease in Ontario.
The person developed the characteristic bull’s-eye rash and was diagnosed last month, Kirk said.
A blacklegged (deer) tick bite can pass on Lyme disease, a bacterial infection which if not diagnosed and treated early can cause recurring arthritis, neurological problems, numbness and paralysis.
It’s the seventh confirmed case of Lyme disease reported to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit since 2010. There was one case in 2010, two in 2011, none in 2012, one in 2013 and two in 2014.
Point Pelee National Park is the only endemic area of risk within Essex County where ticks with Lyme disease are known to be found, Kirk said.
Ticks were collected in May at Ojibway for the first time by the health unit and the lab results show three black-legged tick nymphs were found but none had Lyme disease.
“We know that deer move around and we know that ticks move around. I’d never say, even though we know that Point Pelee is an area of risk, that you couldn’t find a tick anywhere else in WindsorEssex County. And during this time of year it makes sense to use those simple precautions,” he said of tips including avoiding tall grass.
In May, runners at Malden Park were noticing more ticks and a York University expert said to expect to see more and more deer ticks in WindsorEssex.
Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams was warning the public Thursday to take precautions to prevent both mosquito and tick bites including: • Wear long- sleeved shirts and pants to ward off ticks and mosquitoes. Wear lightcoloured clothing to be able to spot ticks more easily and to guard against mosquitoes which seem attracted to dark colours. Wear closed-toed shoes to guard against tick bites. Officials also recommend pulling your socks over your pant legs to keep ticks from crawling up your legs. • Use insect repellent containing DEET or lcaridin and follow the directions carefully. • To guard against ticks, shower or bathe within two hours of being outdoors to remove ticks that may be crawling on your body but haven’t attached on your skin. Do a daily fullbody check for ticks and don’t forget to check your children and pets. Young black-legged ticks can be the size of a poppyseed. Avoid walking in tall grass and stick to the centre of paths. • To reduce your risk of being bitten by a mosquito, remove mosquito breeding sites around your home. That may involve emptying flowerpots, garbage cans and bird baths regularly so you don’t have standing water, or removing compost and overgrown shrubbery. Repair screen doors and windows so mosquitoes can’t easily get inside, cut your grass and try to avoid being outside during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
In late June, health unit officials said a mosquito pool had tested positive for West Nile virus in Essex County which was the first sign of West Nile this year in the area. Since then, it is the only positive mosquito pool the health unit has found and there have been no local human cases of West Nile reported.