http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Spread+ticks+leading+more+cases+Lyme+disease+CHEO+says/7060440/story.html
Spread of ticks leading to more cases of Lyme disease, CHEO says
BY GEORDON OMAND, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN AUGUST 8, 2012
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Erythematous rash in the pattern of a “bull’s-eye” from Lyme disease.
OTTAWA — The expansion of the geographic range for ticks in Ontario is leading to more cases of Lyme disease in Ottawa this year, according to an infectious disease specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
Lyme disease is an illness caused by a bacterial infection often spread through tick bites. The arachnids are breeding more widely in the province for a variety of reasons, including global warming and the spread of white-tailed deer, a common vector for ticks.
“We know that here at CHEO the number of cases and possible exposures are increasing,” said CHEO staff physician Dr. Jason Brophy, though he said that the hospital has not been keeping track of the numbers in any systematic way.
According to Ottawa Public Health, the number of reported cases of Lyme disease so far this year has remained virtually identical to last year.
Six cases of Lyme disease have been reported to OPH so far this year, compared to five cases in the same time frame last year. A total of 10 cases were reported for all of 2011. Seven cases were reported in 2010, five in 2009, seven in 2008 and two in 2007.
However, said associate medical officer of health at OPH Carolyn Pim, “The cases that are reported to Ottawa Public Health may not be the total picture.”
Under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, Lyme disease is reportable by law. “But they aren’t necessarily always reported,” said Pim. “It’s possible that CHEO has seen cases that haven’t been reported yet because they haven’t been confirmed.”
“The catchment area for CHEO includes most of Eastern Ontario,” said Brophy. But so far none of the cases reported this year occurred from exposure to ticks within Ottawa’s city limits.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the temperate world.
To mitigate tick bites, Ottawa Public Health encourages people to wear hats, long sleeve shirts and pants with the legs tucked into socks or boots whenever venturing into wooded areas. Insect repellent containing DEET and wearing light-coloured clothing is also recommended, as well as performing inspections after being in tick territory.
“The key message is the preventative message,” Pim said
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