Ticks showing up in Toronto parks prompt warnings about Lyme disease from city health

[Trellie]

I really recommend this read if you live in this area, it seems those black legged ticks are migrating from New York to Ontario and westward from there. So be careful people!

Roughly one third of ticks submitted to Toronto Public Health last year tested positive for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, according to a recent statement by a city health official.

Spokesperson Dr. Howard Shapiro said in an email on Wednesday that “in 2015, 39 blacklegged ticks were submitted to Toronto Public Health, 12 tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.”

“Of these, 9 were reported as travel related and 3 with most likely exposure reported as local,” Shapiro added.

The statements follow a recent announcement about public safety after the discovery of the disease-causing ticks in four Toronto parks: Morningside Park, Cedar Ridge Park, Scarborough’s Rouge Park, and Algonquin Island.

The City of Toronto has also posted warning signs in parks and wooded areas where ticks are more likely to be found.

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[lymegreen]

This article definitely made me sit up and take notice. To think that of 39 ticks, 12 had the bacteria that causes Lyme is pretty huge. That's basically one in three ticks on average having the bacteria.

It's definitely showing that we need to be vigilant when it comes to watching for ticks and always going for prevention being better than cure.

 

[Azrile]

It will be interesting to track weather patterns this summer to see how Toronto and southern Canada unfolds. That really will be the key to see if the ticks become a permanent problem there. The more I read, the more I learned that the ticks are really not very strong or able to adapt to new environments well, which is why except for some random isolated events that occur occassionaly, the ticks haven´t migrated outside of a select few areas. But with global warming, really only you need a few years of abnormal weather than mimics what is found in the mid-atlantic USA, and that could be enough to cause an explosion in the population.

 

[zerthi]

I hope that migration only happens during wet seasons Morningside Park, Cedar Ridge Park, Scarborough’s Rouge Park,Algonquin Island and nearby woods . In that case It could be easier to deal with them since is probably temporal. I regard their prevention measures as highly effective. Warning signs is a good way to keep people aware.

 

[Azrile]

I hope that migration only happens during wet seasons Morningside Park, Cedar Ridge Park, Scarborough’s Rouge Park,Algonquin Island and nearby woods . In that case It could be easier to deal with them since is probably temporal. I regard their prevention measures as highly effective. Warning signs is a good way to keep people aware.

That really is the risk of these new weather patterns. Even in areas where Lyme Disease has been a problem for decades, there still is very little reporting or awareness about it. So now when you get areas that never had outbreaks before, it will be a long time before the awareness grows in those areas of this new threat.

 

[Trellie]

It will be interesting to track weather patterns this summer to see how Toronto and southern Canada unfolds. That really will be the key to see if the ticks become a permanent problem there. The more I read, the more I learned that the ticks are really not very strong or able to adapt to new environments well, which is why except for some random isolated events that occur occassionaly, the ticks haven´t migrated outside of a select few areas. But with global warming, really only you need a few years of abnormal weather than mimics what is found in the mid-atlantic USA, and that could be enough to cause an explosion in the population.

I truly hope it's something temporal, otherwise we might see a really high increase in Lyme cases D: I'd not be surprised it this became something more permanent though... because well, in the last two years winters seemed to be warmer almost everywhere in the world. I kid you now, the north of the Netherlands had flowering buds 3 years ago by January... We might not like what we will be seeing and experiencing in the next few years...

 

[Trellie]

This article definitely made me sit up and take notice. To think that of 39 ticks, 12 had the bacteria that causes Lyme is pretty huge. That's basically one in three ticks on average having the bacteria.

It's definitely showing that we need to be vigilant when it comes to watching for ticks and always going for prevention being better than cure.

Yeah, its' a huge percentage I actually wish I understood how the disease spreads among ticks. I have never quite understood how that happens, and how everything could have started... but yeah, I will never see deer and forests the same way I did when I was younger. If I only knew back then what I know now...

 

[oportosanto]

I don't get that either, but once we are able to control ticks we will be able to control the disease.

 

[tgthewriter1]

So the ticks are causing the disease to spread. It reminds me of the rats and the black plague. There always seem to be a insect or bug carrying some disease. Luckily, all you have to do is get rid of the bug and the symptoms will stop.

 

[Trellie]

Funny you mention that, @tgthewriter1, because it was actually a bug the one that caused the plague... it was the fleas on the rats the one that carried that horrible disease. People avoided rats because of their fleas, because once you were bitten by an infected flea it was certain you'd get the plague as well. This is awfully similar, but at Lyme is nothing like the plague.

 

[Trellie]

I don't get that either, but once we are able to control ticks we will be able to control the disease.

Yeah, I think awareness = to prevention is the key here. I mean, some years ago I didn't even know what the risk factors of this diseases were! I did knew it was caused by ticks, but I didn't know more than just that back then. Now I no longer like the idea of camping in a forest, or even a park (better safe than sorry).

 

[oportosanto]

True because once we realize what the problem is we will be more effective fighting it.