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Tick season is underway. With rising temperatures, ensure to check yourself and pets for ticks regularly.
Environment | May 17, 2024
Tick season is in full swing with the warm weather here to stay, it’s important to check yourself and pets regularly for ticks.
A tick is a small, blood-sucking parasite closely related to a spider. Ticks are crawlers. They don’t jump or fly but quietly wait on long grass or branches to crawl on an unsuspecting person or animal to bite. It is that painless bite that can lead to health concerns for you and your pet. Ticks are often hard to see because they are less than three millimetres or as small as the head of a pin.
Although ticks are mostly active in spring and summer, they can survive when the temperature is above freezing. There are many varieties of ticks in Ontario, but the one of greatest concern in Ontario is the black-legged tick (also known as the deer tick). Black-legged ticks can carry bacteria, parasites and viruses that can be transmitted to humans through a bite. The most common disease transmitted by ticks is Lyme disease which can have serious health implications. The black-legged tick can also transmit other diseases of public health significance including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and Powassan.
Although black-legged ticks can be found in Mississauga, they are not common. Residents are more likely to encounter the American dog tick which does not transmit Lyme disease.
Here are some tips to help ensure you, your family and your furry friends stay safe during tick season.
If you or your pet get bitten by a tick, it’s important to remove it as soon as possible. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. After removal, clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
If a black-legged tick has bitten you, you may be at risk of developing Lyme disease. Talk to your health care provider or ask your pharmacist about antibiotic medication to prevent the development of Lyme disease.
Learn how Public Health Ontario is monitoring Lyme disease.
Peel Public Health conducts active surveillance throughout Peel Region but no longer accepts tick submissions for identification. Public Health Laboratories will accept submissions of ticks found on humans but only from healthcare providers for species identification only.
Ticks are not tested for pathogens and the turnaround time is approximately three weeks.
Alternatively, if you have a tick that you would like to be identified, you can take a photo and submit it to etick.ca, a free online tick identification service. The turnaround time is 24-48 hours.
Get answers to questions about tick submissions and testing.
With climate warming and environmental changes, ticks are becoming more common in Canada with longer, warmer seasons. Hotter summers and milder winters are allowing ticks to extend their survival, growth and reproduction. They are also establishing themselves in new and existing areas, especially around southern Ontario. The extended summer also means ticks are more active, increasing the chances of more human-tick contact.
As tick season approaches, it’s essential for all of us to stay alert and take preventive measures to safeguard ourselves and our pets, aiming to decrease the chances of tick bites within our community.
City of Mississauga Media Relations
media@mississauga.ca
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