The Alberta government has recently expanded its tick surveillance program,

http://www.stalbertgazette.com/article/20130511/SAG0801/305119978/province-expands-tick-surveillance-program

Province expands tick surveillance program Individuals can now submit ticks for Lyme disease testing By: By Amy Crofts   |  Posted: Saturday, May 11, 2013 06:00 am More Sharing Services Comments    |    Print    |    A A Albertans have been asked to keep their eyes peeled for a little black bug over the next few months, one that likes to hitch a ride on your canine companion. The Alberta government has recently expanded its tick surveillance program, asking individuals to submit ticks they find to the nearest participating environmental public health office, for Lyme disease testing. Certain species of the small arachnid can carry Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi – a bacteria that causes Lyme disease in humans, domestic animals and wildlife when they are bitten by an infected tick. “Currently the risk of acquiring Lyme disease in Alberta is extremely low,” said Dr. Martin Lavoie, the deputy chief medical officer of health. “But we know that the risk will somewhat increase because the tick will eventually establish itself in some parts of Alberta.” Two species of tick – Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis – are well known to carry Lyme disease-causing bacteria. These ticks can be found widely distributed in British Columbia (largest on the lower mainland, Vancouver Island and in the Fraser Valley), southeastern Quebec, southern and eastern Ontario, southeastern Manitoba and parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The insects live in and around wooded areas and are commonly carried into homes and yards by pets. Although all 32 cases of Lyme disease reported to Alberta Health between 1998 and 2012 were acquired while people were travelling outside the province, Lavoie explained it’s only a matter of time before the bacteria-carrying tick populations spread more permanently to Alberta. Under the previous surveillance program – by which only veterinarians could submit ticks found on farm and companion animals for testing – 41 of 226 ticks tested were positive for Lyme disease-causing bacteria. Lavoie said Alberta Health has realized the need for more surveillance and is urging individuals to submit ticks found in the environment as well as on themselves for testing. This move is long overdue, said Alison Glass, a St. Albert woman living with Lyme disease. “When I was first diagnosed with Lyme … I was told I couldn’t have it because it was not prevalent in Alberta,” said Glass, who contracted the disease in Germany while on vacation. Glass explained she only started noticing symptoms six months after she was first bitten, a wound she had attributed at the time to being an odd mosquito bite. “I’m one of the privileged few that got the rash and had a doctor look at the rash and know exactly what it was. That, in North America, is unusual,” she said. Glass was diagnosed in 2007 by a physician who was trained in Europe, and who was familiar with the telltale symptoms of Lyme disease, which include a bulls-eye rash. The symptoms of Lyme disease – like fever and chills – are common to many different illnesses, but if untreated they can develop into heart palpitations, central and peripheral nervous system disorders, arthritis and extreme fatigue and general weakness. “It hits every system in your body. It doesn’t miss a beat. I’m lucky because I’ve never been totally bedridden,” said Glass. Glass has been to both Wales and Seattle for treatment, adding Canadian doctors are ill equipped to diagnose and treat Lyme disease, an affliction that is commonly misdiagnosed due to lack of information and lack of available testing. According to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, antibody tests for Lyme are available through labs in the U.S., but vary in efficacy depending on how many strains of Lyme they test for. This results in a high degree of false negative test results. The Public Health Agency of Canada notes the accuracy of blood tests for Lyme disease becomes more reliable as the infection progresses, stating, “all laboratory tests have a margin of error which is why Lyme disease should be diagnosed clinically first and foremost.” This is why, said Glass, everyone needs to be aware of Lyme disease, especially doctors. The expanded provincial program is expected to cost an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 annually, depending on the number of ticks submitted for testing. It will determine what kind of tick was submitted and whether the tick is carrying the Lyme bacteria. “What's different about this expanded program is that medically related samples will now be tested locally rather than being sent to the national lab,” said Janet Sperling, member of the board of directors for the CanLyme foundation. “This will shorten the turnaround time for testing of Alberta ticks and allow the Alberta government to take greater responsibility for averting the long-term burden of Lyme disease for Albertans.” For more information on Lyme disease and the tick surveillance program in Alberta, visithttp://www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/lyme-disease.html