Tick-borne Diseases Prevention

About Tick-borne Diseases

Tick-borne diseases may cause potentially serious infections if you’re bitten by an infected blacklegged tick (also called a deer tick).

Not all blacklegged ticks carry the infectious agents that cause anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus, and/or Lyme disease, and not everyone who is bitten by an infected tick will develop signs and symptoms of these diseases.

Ontario.ca [fn:1]

Identifying Ticks

They are usually smaller than a Canadian dime and vary in size depending on stages.

Where blacklegged ticks live

In Ontario, Canada, there is a low probability an infected ticket is almost in all areas. Public Health Ontario’s Vector-Borne Disease Tool has a map called “Blacklegged Tick (BLT) Established Risk Areas” showing areas in Ontario where it is likely to find them.

Avoiding getting a tick bite

Know you have a higher risk when being:

In a wooded area or area with tall grass and bushes include city area
Outdoor activities like hiking, camping, gardening

Prevention

Below are various ways to prevent getting bitten and monitoring [fn:1]:

Cover up and wear

Light coloured clothing to make it easier to see ticks
Closed toe shoes
Long sleeve shirts
Long parts tucked into your socks
Special clothing designed to repel ticks

Use insect repellent with “DEET” or “icaridin”.

Put clothes in dryer to kill ticks still on clothing - high heat for 10 minutes before washing.

Check yourself and children, check:

Behind knees
Head
Belly button
Groin area
Underarm area
Back of body

For pets, check and remove ticks you find and ask veterinarian for options.

How to Remove a Tick

Process is same for human and animal. Do not crush or damage the tick to avoid Lyme bacteria to pass into the bloodstream.

Use tweezers and grasp tick as close as possible to skin
Pull the tick straight out, gently but firm
Wash area with soap and water and disinfect skin and hands with alcohol or iodine swab.
Check if a tick is a blacklegged tick by:
- Contact or see website of your local public health unit
- Submit photo to tick to etick.ca

The local public health does tick testsing to determine where infected ticks live.

Lyme Disease Signs and Symptoms

For humans, usually appear between 3 – 30 days after a bite from an infected tick.

Contact your local public health unit or speak to health care professional right away if you have been somewhere that ticks might live and experience any of the following symptoms:

rash

a bull’s-eye rash (a red patch on the skin that is usually round or oval and more than 5 cm that spreads outwards and is getting bigger

a bruise-like rash (usually on darker skin tones)

another type of unusual rash

fever

chills

headache

stiff neck

muscle aches and joint pains

fatigue (more tired than usual)

swollen lymph nodes

spasms, numbness or tingling

facial paralysis

If untreated, Lyme disease can make one feel tired and weak and even harm the heart, nerves, liver and joints. Symptoms from untreated Lyme disease can last years and include recurring arthritis and neurological problems, numbness, and paralysis.

Ontario.ca [fn:1]

Medical Treatment

Health care provider can diagnose depending on signs and risk factors. Antibiotics can treat most cases of Lyme disease.

See Tick-borne diseases | ontario.ca for signs, diagnosis, and treatment for Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Powassan virus, and other resources.

Maintaining Property

To keep backlegged ticks away:

Keep grass mowed short
Trim plants to allow sunlight as ticks avoid hot, dry locations
Create a border or gravel or wood chips one meter or wider if next to area with woods and or grasses
Remove plant litter