Lyme infection rate is 40 per cent in blacklegged ticks in parts of N.S., says researcher
CBC
Checking yourself for ticks is just part of the summer routine in the region now, says a Maritime researcher.
With the temperature rising, tick season is at its peak.
The rate of Lyme disease infection in blacklegged ticks in large parts of Nova Scotia is 40 per cent. Areas around Lunenburg, Yarmouth and New Glasgow are of particular concern.
The information comes from the Lloyd Tick Lab at Mount Allison University in Sackville N.B., which researches and tests ticks for Lyme disease across Canada.
People are likely to encounter two types of ticks in Nova Scotia, says Vett Lloyd of the research centre — the American dog tick, also known as the wood tick, which is often harmless, and the blacklegged tick, also known as the deer tick.
"That's the bad kind," said Lloyd.
Lloyd said ticks are around for the entire year, but there are peaks in spring and fall. The region is in the midst of the spring peak.
"People are going out and we're being flooded with ticks," said Lloyd, adding that ticks increased in Canada by 150 per cent between 2020 and 2021. They are expanding northward due to climate change and other factors.
Lloyd said safety measures include bug spray and tick checks. Nova Scotia pharmacists are also able to prescribe preventive treatment.
"This morning I got a picture saying, 'Oh, we thought it was a skin tag, but no, it's got legs.' Wasn't the skin tick. It's an engorged tick and it's been feeding for a good week," Lloyd said.
Lloyd says Nova Scotia and Ontario rank the highest for ticks in Canada. "Nova Scotia is the worst because we have lots of ticks and fewer people than southern Ontario."
Dr. Jeff Goodall, the owner and a veterinarian at Sunnyview Animal Care in Bedford, said his clinic is seeing dogs testing positive for Lyme disease earlier in the season.
He said the clinic checks if dogs have been exposed to any tick-borne diseases when they come in for lameness.
"A little too many, probably three to four a week in our practice, are showing up Lyme-disease positive," said Goodall.
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