We tend to think of particular places as hot spots for ticks, such as the North Eastern United States. In fact, Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Unfortunately, ticks carrying infectious diseases can be found all over North America, including Canada, although this hasn’t always been the case.
Tick bites can lead to life-threatening infections including Lyme disease, as well as lesser-known infections like Bartonella and Rickettsia. Lyme disease cases in Canada are on the rise, and we’re here to explain why that is.
You can help protect yourself and your family from tick-borne diseases by knowing which ticks and bacteria you may be exposed to in Canada, as well as how to prevent tick bites, and what to do if you happen to get one.
Climate Change and Tick Surveillance
If ticks haven’t always been common in Canada, then what changed? One of the biggest factors when it comes to an increase in vector-borne diseases is the effects of climate change on tick populations.
Like everywhere else in the world, Canada has seen changes in rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events like high heat waves associated with climate change. Overall, Canada is increasing in temperature. So how does this affect tick populations?
Deer ticks (also known as blacklegged ticks), which can carry Lyme disease-causing bacteria, are most active when temperatures are above 45 degrees F, with at least 85% humidity. Climate change has made it possible for ticks to survive in areas where they weren’t previously able to.
These changes in weather have improved the survival and reproduction of ticks, which has led to an increase in tick populations where they already were. Increased temperatures have also allowed ticks to expand northward into higher latitudes, giving them a greater geographic range throughout Canada.
Climate change hasn’t just impacted the areas where ticks are able to survive, but also when they are active. Warmer temperatures mean earlier seasonal activity for ticks, as well as a longer seasonal activity thanks to shorter winters. It has also led to an increase in the pathogens (disease-causing bacteria) that ticks can carry.
Environmental changes don’t just impact tick populations directly. They also lead to changes in the populations, behaviors, and reproductive patterns of host animals for ticks, such as deer. All of these factors have led to a widespread increase in tick populations and Lyme disease cases in Canada.
What Ticks are Found in Canada?
Not all ticks carry disease-causing bacteria. So what kind of ticks should you look out for? You can find different species of ticks throughout Canada, so it depends on where you live, or are visiting.
On the west coast of British Columbia, there are more than twenty species of ticks found. Only three of those normally bite humans, including the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick and the Western Black-legged Tick. As mentioned, blacklegged ticks can carry Lyme disease-causing bacteria as well as one type of Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever (TBRF) bacteria. These ticks are sometimes called deer ticks since their preferred host is the white-tailed deer.
On the eastern side of Canada, such as in Quebec, there are about a dozen species of ticks found, including the blacklegged tick. These ticks can be found in most regions of Quebec as they can be transported by migratory birds. The risk of contracting Lyme disease is highest in southern Quebec.
Deer ticks can also be found in central Canada, along with the American Dog Tick, and Rocky Mountain Wood Tick.
As tick populations continue to grow, it’s important to know what steps to take to help protect your and your family’s health.
Preventing and Testing for Lyme Disease
The first step when it comes to preventing Lyme disease is to avoid tick bites in the first place. You can help prevent tick bites by covering yourself with pants, long sleeves, and socks when going into wooded areas and other places where ticks might be present. It’s also important to use insect repellent made with DEET, picaridin, or lemon eucalyptus oil.
Thoroughly check yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks after hiking or spending time outdoors. If you do happen to find a tick, you should remove it with fine-tipped tweezers, being careful not to crush its body as that can release more pathogens into the bloodstream.
You can also help protect yourself by knowing the symptoms of Lyme disease, such as fever, joint pain, skin rash, fatigue, and joint and nervous system complications. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics and is easiest to treat if caught early on, making it crucial to be on the lookout for symptoms to prevent the disease from going untreated for too long.
If you were bit by what could be an infected tick, it’s important to seek out testing as soon as possible. Not only can you yourself get tested for possible infections, but you can also test the tick itself if you were able to save it.
Remember that not all Lyme disease testing is created equal, as some may not be sensitive or specific enough to detect all cases of tick-borne infections.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is continuing to monitor tick populations, Lyme disease risk areas, and human Lyme disease cases in Canada. You can look at their map to see where tick populations may be growing and what areas you are most at risk of contracting Lyme disease.
