Ticks are a growing, disease-carrying menace. Besides Lyme disease – the most common tick-borne illness in Canada – they can transmit other diseases such as anaplasmosis, which can be fatal in rare cases, and babesiosis, an infection that destroys red blood cells, writes Wency Leung.
The scientists who study them say getting to know them better – by understanding their physiology, behaviour and where and how they’re spreading – is the key to protecting ourselves and our pets against them and the various pathogens they carry.
Health Canada says you’re most likely to encounter ticks during the spring, summer and fall, though ticks can be active at any time of the year when the temperature is consistently above freezing.
Here’s what you need to know about ticks and Lyme disease in Canada.
What should I do if I’ve been bitten by a tick?
To start: don’t panic, writes Serena Marotta. Not every black-legged tick carries Lyme disease, and even if it does, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will result in human transmission. If transmission of bacteria does occur, it also doesn’t mean a person will contract Lyme disease.
Experts recommend removing a tick within 24 to 36 hours to reduce the likelihood of bacterial transmission. Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible using clean forceps or tweezers. Slowly pull it straight out, without twisting, and try not to crush or break it.
Don’t attempt to burn a tick or spin it, or use Vaseline or nail polish remover, as it can agitate the arthropod and prompt it to regurgitate bacteria into the wound. (If any part of the tick remains in the skin, try to remove it with tweezers. If that’s not possible, let the skin heal and consult your health-care provider.)
Wash both the bite area and your hands with soap and water, or disinfect with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Try to keep the tick in a sealed bag or container to bring to your health care provider for testing, and record the date of the bite.
Photos of ticks found on humans and animals can be submitted to eTick.ca for identification, and private tick-testing services such as Geneticks can determine pathogens and deliver results within 48 hours.
If you develop an unexpected rash or fever after being in an area known to have ticks, health experts recommend calling a doctor. And though a bull’s-eye rash is a key indicator of early Lyme disease, and sudden rashes or fevers after visiting a tick-infested area could indicate a tick bite, many people never develop any symptoms – which is why experts say awareness and prevention are key. In Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec, where there is a high risk of being bitten by a blacklegged tick, you can go to your local pharmacy to speak with a pharmacist about your tick bite and assess whether the antibiotic treatment – a single dose of doxycycline – is necessary.
Is Lyme disease on the rise in Canada?
Over the past 20 years there has been a rise in the incidence of Lyme disease as ticks, particularly black-legged ticks, are able to survive the winters due to warming temperatures, said Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore. Between 2009 and 2022, provincial public health units have reported 17,080 human cases of Lyme disease across Canada.
Which kinds of ticks carry Lyme disease in Canada?
There are two types of ticks that carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in humans: the black-legged or deer tick, found in southern and Eastern Canada, and the western black-legged tick, found in the West. They go through a two-year life cycle.
The ticks can become vectors of the Lyme disease-causing bacteria after feeding on infected birds or rodents. Humans often contract the disease after being bitten by tiny ticks in the nymph stage. To prevent disease, ticks should be removed within 48 hours.
Ticks that carry Lyme disease in Canada
Black-legged or
deer tick
(Ixodes scapularis)
Western
black-legged tick
(Ixodes pacificus)
Relative sizes
Adult
female
Adult
male
Nymph
Larva
1 cm
Ticks that carry Lyme disease in Canada
Black-legged or
deer tick
(Ixodes scapularis)
Western
black-legged tick
(Ixodes pacificus)
Relative sizes
Adult
female
Adult
male
Nymph
Larva
1 cm
Ticks that carry Lyme disease in Canada
Black-legged or
Deer tick
(Ixodes scapularis)
Western
black-legged tick
(Ixodes pacificus)
Relative sizes
Adult
female
Adult
male
Nymph
Larva
1 cm
Which parts of Canada are high risk for Lyme Disease ticks?
Parts of B.C., Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and all of Nova Scotia are at higher risk of people getting Lyme disease from tick bites. Health Canada says black-legged ticks are spreading to new areas in Canada in part due to climate change. They can also spread by travelling on birds and deer. You can sometimes find black-legged ticks in areas outside of where they’re known to live.
Consult Health Canada’s map of risk areas for ticks and Lyme disease to know if where you live or where you’re going is at risk.
What are the early signs and symptoms of Lyme disease?
Early signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
They usually start 3 to 30 days after you have been bitten by
an infected black-legged tick. Most people experience mild
flu-like symptoms soon after being bitten, while a small
number may have more serious symptoms, sometimes
weeks after the bite.
Headache
!
Fatigue
Chills
Swollen
lymph nodes
Rash Some
times shaped
like a bull's eye
Fever
Muscle and
joint aches
john sopinski and MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL
SOURCE: GOVERNMENT OF CANADA; university of
rhode island
Early signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
They usually start 3 to 30 days after you have been bitten by an
infected black-legged tick. Most people experience mild flu-like
symptoms soon after being bitten, while a small number may have
more serious symptoms, sometimes weeks after the bite.
Headache
!
Fatigue
Chills
Swollen
lymph nodes
Rash Some
times shaped
like a bull's eye
Fever
Muscle and
joint aches
john sopinski and MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL
SOURCE: GOVERNMENT OF CANADA; university of
rhode island
Early signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
They usually start 3 to 30 days after you have been bitten by an infected black-legged tick.
Most people experience mild flu-like symptoms soon after being bitten, while a small
number may have more serious symptoms, sometimes weeks after the bite.
Headache
!
Fatigue
Chills
Swollen
lymph nodes
Rash Some
times shaped
like a bull's eye
Fever
Muscle and
joint aches
john sopinski and MURAT YÜKSELIR / THE GLOBE AND MAIL
SOURCE: GOVERNMENT OF CANADA; university of rhode island
What do I do if my dog or other pet gets bitten by a tick?
Dr. Vett Lloyd, a professor at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick and a leading tick and Lyme disease researcher says that dogs are at risk of tick bites because they’re lower to the ground, they’re hairier, and smellier. Lyme disease vaccines are available for dogs, and the Canadian Lyme Disease Association says most veterinarians only recommend vaccinating dogs that live in tick-infested areas. If your pet was bitten by a tick, the B.C. SPCA recommends watching them closely for changes in behaviour or appetite or for any unusual illness such as fever, lameness, lethargy, bruising or bleeding, and asking your vet about a blood test they can do to determine if your pet was exposed to a tick-borne disease.
How to protect yourself from ticks
- Stay on trails. Ticks don’t jump or fly, so human contact occurs through brushes with vegetation, like grass and leaves. Avoid these areas, along with heavily wooded and brushy areas, and familiarize yourself with Lyme disease risk areas.
- Dress properly. Wear socks and closed-toe shoes, and tuck long sleeves and long pants into socks and waistbands when visiting risk areas. Light-coloured clothing can make it easier to spot ticks. After walking on a trail or other tick habitat, remove your clothing and have a bath or shower. If the tick hasn’t yet bitten, it can be washed off. Putting clothing in the dryer for an hour on high heat can also kill ticks.
- Perform full-body tick checks. Ticks often crawl around before they bite, and they migrate to cracks, crevices and moist areas on the body. Take extra care to check behind the knees, in the creases of elbows, the underarms, groin and behind the ears. Also check along the hairline – especially on children, as their heads are closer to the ground. Using a buddy system can be helpful for checking hard-to-see areas.
- Spray yourself. Use insect repellents such as DEET or wear clothing treated with permethrin when going outside.
- Keep your grass short. Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns, remove leaf litter, and move children’s play sets away from wooded areas.
- Build a barrier. Placing a metre-wide wood-chip or gravel boundary between lawns and wooded areas can keep ticks from migrating into recreational areas, as they avoid dry areas.
- Get a hen. Both guinea fowl and hens eat ticks and can be used as a natural way of controlling tick populations on your property, depending where you live.
Listen and learn
Dr. Vett Lloyd, a professor at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick and a leading tick and Lyme disease researcher chats with the Decibel podcast about how to avoid getting bitten, what to do if you do find a tick on you, a loved one or your pet and why there isn’t a vaccine against Lyme disease for humans on the market.