Montérégie public health is calling for vigilance as the number of people infected with Lyme disease in Quebec is increasing sharply and the territory affected continues to expand.
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“The climate is favorable for ticks. Ticks often arrive through migrating birds which can carry them over a long distance. With global warming, climate change, if the climate is more favorable, tick populations will develop, ”explains to TVA Nouvelles Dr. François Milord, medical advisor to the Public Health Department of Montérégie.
Montérégie and Estrie are the regions particularly affected, but Centre-du-Québec, Lanaudière and Outaouais are increasingly affected.
For all of Quebec, 500 cases were accumulated in 2019, and 700 in 2021.
To avoid being bitten by a tick carrying the disease, public health recommends wearing long clothing when walking in tall grass, in wooded areas or while working in the field. Light-colored clothing is a priority, as it allows ticks to be seen quickly.
Antibiotics can be given as a preventive measure after being bitten.
A certain proportion of people with Lyme disease may develop other illnesses.
“There are probably 10% to 20% of people who will present more significant symptoms, which can affect the nervous system, more importantly the joints, such as arthritis of the knee”, specifies Dr. Milord.
What to do if you have been bitten by a tick
1. Don’t Panic: A tick bite isn’t the end of the world when caught early. Also, not all ticks are infected.
2. Gently remove it with pliers provided for this purpose to make sure not to leave the head in the skin.
3. Preserve it in a container in the freezer to be able to have it tested.
The tick must remain in the body for 24 to 36 hours to transmit the bacteria, hence the importance of examining yourself as soon as you leave.
The first symptoms, which appear 3 to 30 days after being bitten, are redness (sometimes in the shape of a target), fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle or joint pain and swollen glands.
If you wish to consult the Quebec Tick Identification Guide, click here.
Number of Lyme disease cases reported in Quebec since 2014:
– 125 cases in 2014
– 160 cases in 2015
– 177 cases in 2016
– 329 cases in 2017
– 304 cases in 2018
– 500 cases in 2019
– 274 cases in 2020
– 709 cases in 2021
