(CBC News) — An increase in cases of Lyme disease in Canada could be the result of greater awareness and better testing, say experts who remind those heading out in risky areas to take precautions.
In 2009, the Public Health Agency of Canada recorded 144 cases of Lyme disease in the country. In 2016, there were 992 cases countrywide. The illness is caused by a type of bacteria transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick, such as the blacklegged tick and western blacklegged tick.
Ticks pick up the bacteria from feeding on rodents, birds and other small animals. Large animals, such as deer, are also needed for the bacteria to complete their life cycle.
Pets can help track ticks
For a tick to be able to pass on the infection to a human, it has to be the right type of tick and it has to carry the bacteria, said Scott Weese, a veterinarian and professor at the University of Guelph.
Weese co-ordinates the Pet Tick Tracker, a site that asks pet owners and vets to help monitor and track the spread of ticks in Canada by helping them to identify pests collected from dogs. (…)