13 cases of Lyme disease in Durham this season
The regional health department says there have been 13 reported cases of Lyme disease in Durham this season, up from 11 last year. As a result, the health department is reminding residents of how to protect themselves from being bitten by infected deer ticks.
The regional health department is reminding residents to protect themselves against deer ticks and the disease that some of them carry: Lyme disease.
This season, the health department has found three deer ticks – also known as black-legged ticks – that tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. So far this season, the region has received 13 reports of human cases of Lyme disease in Durham, up from 11 last year.
While the risk of infection is low, the health department advises that residents can reduce the risk by taking precautions. These include:
- Wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt, socks and closed footwear.
- Tucking your pants into your socks and wearing light-coloured clothing, which makes ticks easier to spot.
- Staying in the center of trails when walking and hiking in grassy or wooded areas.
- Using an insect repellent that has “DEET” on your clothing and exposed skin.
- Taking a shower or bath, and examining your body thoroughly for ticks after each outing.
- Putting a tick and flea collar on your pets, and routinely checking them for ticks.
“A thorough check of your body and the quick removal of ticks from the skin will help prevent infection, as transmission of the Lyme disease causing bacteria usually requires the tick to be attached to the skin for at least 24 hours,” states Ross MacEachern, the manager of environmental health for the region’s health department, in a news release.
The image above is what a tick looks like.
It usually takes approximately one to two weeks for the early symptoms of Lyme disease to appear following a tick bite, but can be experienced in as soon as three days or as long as a month. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, fatigue and a red rash that often looks like a bull’s-eye target. If detected early, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics. Anyone who develops these symptoms after being bitten by a tick should see their health care provider.
For more information, please call the Environmental Help Line at 1-888-777-9614, or visit durham.ca/vectorbornediseases.