Tag Archives: ticks

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Shows

Public Health advises Waterloo Region residents to take caution when outdoors this summer

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

Summer hiking season is back, and along with it, warnings to be on the lookout for ticks.

At Waterloo Regional Council on June 19, the Waterloo Region Public Health Department warned residents of the increased presence of black-legged ticks in the area. A black-legged tick bite can transmit Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

Dr. Adele Chang, the Region’s Associate Medical Officer for Health describes the detection of these ticks in Cambridge and that three additional tick-borne diseases — anaplasmosis; babesiosis; and Powassan virus disease, have been added to the provincial list of diseases of concern.

Bolstering Dr. Chang’s warning, the eTick website reports a doubling of tick sightings in the area.

Alongside these warnings comes advice on how to prevent tick bites in the first place. Rebecca Piavison the Public Health Manager for Vector-Borne Diseases at the Region of Waterloo, provides practical tick tips, emphasizing the importance of physical barriers, insect repellents, and thorough body checks after outdoor activities.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

The rise of ticks and lyme disease in Waterloo Region

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

 

In 2023, the Ontario government designated Lyme disease a disease of public health significance.

Lyme disease, a combination of skin rashes, fevers, headaches, and fatigue, is contracted from black legged ticks, and if left untreated, can escalate to affect joints, the heart, and nervous system.

Statistics from Public Health Ontario showcase an increase of 300 new Lyme disease cases across the province, From 1, 490 in 2022 to 1, 795 in 2023.  In Waterloo Region, the 2003 data has not been released yet, but by looking at earlier years, a clear upward trend is evident, from 13 cases in 2021 to 22 cases in 2022.

ETick.ca is an online platform where people voluntarily report tick sightings in the environment or when found on humans or animals. Comparing the first three months of 2023 to 2024 shows there has been a threefold increase in blacklegged tick reports for KW on eTick.ca.

The Region of Waterloo’s Public Health Manager for Vector-borne Diseases is Rebecca Piovesan, and she talked to CKMS News about lyme disease  and back-legged ticks.

In addition to resources above:

Canadian Veterinary Medical Association,

 The Ontario government page on Lyme disease and tick removal.