It’s time to start being cautious with ticks and Lyme disease, and this year the BC Center for Disease Control (BCCDC) has released an interactive map to help people assess the risk of being bitten.
As the weather warms and people begin to walk more into the tick territory, the provincial government’s public health arm has created a map where users can enter their address and find out if they are in an area. high risk of encountering an infected insect.
The map, which is now available online, currently shows that people are most at risk on the south coast and in the valleys of the southern interior.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and in British Columbia the western black-legged tick Ixodes pacificus poses the greatest threat of carrying it. The highest risk of tick bites occurs during spring and summer.
Janet Sperling, president of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, says the map is a wake-up call, especially for people who thought the risk was lower than elsewhere in the country.
“It really takes home the fact that there’s a risk of Lyme disease all over BC,” Sperling said.
A screenshot of the online map released by the BC Center for Disease Control shows where the risk of Lyme disease is highest in the province. (BC Center for Disease Control)
Ticks live in tall grass and wooded areas and cling to people or animals as they pass. They are partially buried in the skin, bite, bleed and then fall off.
According to Thompson Rivers University professor Rob Higgins, an entomologist who studies ticks, less than one percent of Western black-legged ticks collected in BC and tested by experts were infected with the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. .
But Higgins said 12 to 15 new cases of Lyme disease are reported each year in BC, and most of these are contracted offshore.
“So while there’s the possibility of hiring Lyme indoors, and it has happened, it doesn’t happen very often,” he said Thursday during an interview with CBC’s Daybreak South.
If left untreated, Lyme disease can lead to serious complications such as arthritis, joint pain, and cognitive problems, the BCCDC says.
Higgins says anyone in any area that is considered risky should always check for ticks after being out and taking protective measures before leaving.
For people who hike through tall grasses or wooded areas, the first step in dealing with ticks is prevention:
Experts say it takes time for a tick to transmit Lyme disease to a human being and there is little risk if it catches and eliminates the offender immediately. Higgins says it can take up to 2 and a half days for a tick to live on a person before there is a significant risk of illness, so checking after being out is crucial and effective.
According to the BCCDC, if you find a tick it is important to remove it all, including the mouth parts that could be buried in the skin. It warns people never to press on the body of an attached tick, which could force the contents of the stomach into the wound and increase the risk of infection.
Removal should be done with tweezers. Once the tick has disappeared, the area of the bite should be cleaned with soap and water and then disinfected with antiseptic cream.
Ticks found by BC residents can be identified for free by sending a photo to www.etick.ca.
If you have been bitten by a tick or are in a high-risk area and suffer from a rash in which you know you have been bitten or have a fever, headache, fatigue, muscle paralysis or joint pain, consult a doctor immediately. says the BCCDC.
This story was originally published on CBC News.
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