Latest news with #PHAC
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Tick-borne disease is spreading into new parts of Canada. Here's where you're at risk
Here's everything you need to know about ticks, including ways to protect both you and your pets. Here's everything you need to know about ticks, including ways to protect both you and your pets. Should you be worried about ticks this spring? As the weather gets warmer, public health experts are warning about the risk of tick-borne illnesses like lyme disease -- a problem that's spreading to new parts of the country. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has identified thousands of postal codes across more than 1,100 municipalities it considers 'risk areas' for exposure to lyme. As of the current list, high-risk areas are concentrated in communities along the U.S. border, as well as in major population centres. In Western Canada, risk areas are concentrated on Vancouver Island, the coastal areas of B.C.'s Lower Mainland and river valleys across that province's south, as well as nearly all of Manitoba from the north shore of Lake Winnipeg to the U.S. border. Further east, much of southern Ontario's Great Lakes coasts, including the entirety of the Greater Toronto Area, are within areas considered high risk by the agency. A corridor of risk areas also exists along the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic coast, including Kingston, Ont., Ottawa and Montreal. And in Atlantic Canada, nearly all of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton Island, are known to be habitats for blacklegged ticks. Blacklegged tick This undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a blacklegged tick, which is also known as a deer tick. (CDC via AP, File) Virginie Millien is an associate professor of biology at McGill University who studies the effects of climate change on wildlife such as ticks and their hosts. 'Risk areas are growing,' Millien told by phone. 'It's not going to stop anytime soon because it's really driven by climate warming.' Millien has been tracking the emergence of Lyme disease in Quebec for over a decade 'The risk is present for people, not just whenever they go far in the woods in remote areas,' Millien cautioned. 'It's also present in some major cities now because there's large urban parks in these cities.' iFrames are not supported on this page. Informed by data from provincial and territorial authorities, risk areas are identified by the emergence of new tick populations, as well as human populations 'most at risk of lyme disease.' But PHAC is quick to note that even if you are not located in a high-risk postal code, it's important to remain vigilant. '[Ticks] can also spread by travelling on birds and deer. You can sometimes find blacklegged ticks in areas outside of where they're known to live,' the agency's lyme-disease monitoring page reads. 'Always take precautions against tick bites when you're in wooded or grassy areas.' Ticking upward PHAC notes that as climate change has increased temperatures across the country, the viable range for lyme-infected ticks has grown, increasing risks of exposure. 'Incidence continues to remain high due to factors such as greater human exposure to risk areas and to risk of infection,' reads a 2022 report on lyme-disease monitoring. Millien says ticks can be spread by other animals like mice, which are also expanding their range due to climate change. 'The tick needs to be able to survive the winter to become established in a region,' Millien explained. 'Winter conditions are going to determine whether the tick is going survive or not, and of course it's getting warmer, so they can survive each year in more northern localities.' 'It's going to get bigger and bigger' Lyme disease is a life-altering infection caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which can spread to humans via tick bites. There are more than 40 varieties of ticks in Canada, and many are known to carry lyme. The species that are of the biggest concern are the blacklegged tick in Eastern Canada and the western blacklegged tick in B.C. While early signs of the disease can be fairly mild, including fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes and a bullseye-shaped rash near the location of the bite, later stages can cause severe headaches, arthritis, spreading pain throughout the muscles, bones and joints, difficulties with thinking and memory and facial paralysis, among other symptoms. First tracked nationally in 2009, reported cases of lyme disease have risen greatly in the past quarter-century, to more than 5,000 in last year's preliminary data from just a few hundred per year in the early 2010s. 'In Canada, there were only a handful of cases only a decade ago,' Millien said. 'It's not a linear relationship, it's exponential when a disease emerges. So it's going to get bigger and bigger, and in an exponential way. That's the expectation.' PHAC notes that cases are often underreported because they go undetected, possibly even to those infected with the disease. Case counts can vary annually due to underlying weather, trends in outdoor activity among humans and prevention efforts by public health authorities, they say. Anyone who develops symptoms after a tick bite, or does after visiting a high-risk area for tick-borne lyme, is advised to contact their heath-care provider. Treatment with antibiotics is most effective soon after exposure, posing the best chance of recovery, though symptoms may persist after treatment is complete, PHAC says. How to remove a tick George Chaconas is a professor at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine who studies the bacteria that causes lyme disease. 'If you're in an area known to have ticks, protect yourself,' he told by phone. 'Wear light-coloured clothing, so if you pick up a tick, you can see it. Tuck your pants into your socks. You may look a little bit funny, but if you do that, if a tick gets on your foot and crawls upwards, which is what they do, it's not going to get under your pants and crawl up to your groin or somewhere else.' Tick Twister Removing a tick with ether and a tick removal device. (Photo By BSIP / Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Insect repellants can also help. If bitten, Chaconas says it's important to quickly but carefully remove a tick by the head without squeezing its body. You can then upload a picture of a tick to to have it identified. 'If it's been less than 24 hours, then chances of picking up Lyme disease are very low because Lyme is usually not transmitted until 24 to 48 hours after the tick bite,' he added. 'If it's been on for longer than that, you can also usually tell by what the tick looks like. If it's big and fat and full of blood, then it's been there for a while.' Related:
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Health crisis: What you need to know about Tick-Borne Lyme disease that is expanding across Canada
Blacklegged ticks , known carriers of Lyme disease , are spreading into new regions across Canada , prompting fresh warnings from health officials. What does the Health Agency of Canada say? The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) now lists more than 1,100 municipalities as high-risk for Lyme exposure. Hotspots include Vancouver Island, southern BC, most of Manitoba, southern Ontario (including the entire GTA), a corridor along the St. Lawrence River from Kingston to Montreal, and nearly all of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your IQ Is 140 If You Can Answer 10 Of These Questions Correctly IQ International 'Risk areas are growing,' says Dr. Virginie Millien, a McGill University biologist who has tracked the tick spread for over a decade. 'It's not going to stop anytime soon because it's really driven by climate warming.' PHAC notes that ticks can hitch rides on birds and deer, showing up far from known habitats. 'Always take precautions in wooded or grassy areas,' the agency warns. Live Events What is Lyme disease? Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, can cause fatigue, fever, a bullseye-shaped rash, and later, severe joint pain, memory issues, and even facial paralysis. In 2009, Canada tracked only a few hundred cases; last year saw over 5,000. 'It's exponential when a disease emerges,' Millien says. 'It's going to get bigger and bigger.' Ticks survive better in milder winters, and hosts like mice are also expanding their range. 'Winter conditions determine whether the tick survives—and it's getting warmer,' Millien explains. If bitten, University of Calgary professor George Chaconas advises careful removal with tweezers, gripping the tick by the head. 'If it's been less than 24 hours, the risk of Lyme is low,' he says. Use for ID. Precautions and safety measures To prevent bites: wear light-colored clothes, tuck pants into socks, use repellents, and check your body after outings. Lyme's expansion is a warning sign of the climate's impact on health. 'It's not just the woods anymore,' Millien says. 'Urban parks are part of the story too.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Tick-borne disease is spreading into new parts of Canada. Here's where you're at risk
Here's everything you need to know about ticks, including ways to protect both you and your pets. As the weather gets warmer, public health experts are warning about the risk of tick-borne illnesses like lyme disease -- a problem that's spreading to new parts of the country. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has identified thousands of postal codes across more than 1,100 municipalities it considers 'risk areas' for exposure to lyme. As of the current list, high-risk areas are concentrated in communities along the U.S. border, as well as in major population centres. In Western Canada, risk areas are concentrated on Vancouver Island, the coastal areas of B.C.'s Lower Mainland and river valleys across that province's south, as well as nearly all of Manitoba from the north shore of Lake Winnipeg to the U.S. border. Further east, much of southern Ontario's Great Lakes coasts, including the entirety of the Greater Toronto Area, are within areas considered high risk by the agency. A corridor of risk areas also exists along the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic coast, including Kingston, Ont., Ottawa and Montreal. And in Atlantic Canada, nearly all of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton Island, are known to be habitats for blacklegged ticks. Blacklegged tick This undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a blacklegged tick, which is also known as a deer tick. (CDC via AP, File) Virginie Millien is an associate professor of biology at McGill University who studies the effects of climate change on wildlife such as ticks and their hosts. 'Risk areas are growing,' Millien told by phone. 'It's not going to stop anytime soon because it's really driven by climate warming.' Millien has been tracking the emergence of Lyme disease in Quebec for over a decade 'The risk is present for people, not just whenever they go far in the woods in remote areas,' Millien cautioned. 'It's also present in some major cities now because there's large urban parks in these cities.' iFrames are not supported on this page. Informed by data from provincial and territorial authorities, risk areas are identified by the emergence of new tick populations, as well as human populations 'most at risk of lyme disease.' But PHAC is quick to note that even if you are not located in a high-risk postal code, it's important to remain vigilant. '[Ticks] can also spread by travelling on birds and deer. You can sometimes find blacklegged ticks in areas outside of where they're known to live,' the agency's lyme-disease monitoring page reads. 'Always take precautions against tick bites when you're in wooded or grassy areas.' Ticking upward PHAC notes that as climate change has increased temperatures across the country, the viable range for lyme-infected ticks has grown, increasing risks of exposure. 'Incidence continues to remain high due to factors such as greater human exposure to risk areas and to risk of infection,' reads a 2022 report on lyme-disease monitoring. Millien says ticks can be spread by other like mice, which are also expanding their range due to climate change. [ missing a word after 'by other' …. Methods, maybe?' ] 'The tick needs to be able to survive the winter to become established in a region,' Millien explained. 'Winter conditions are going to determine whether the tick is going survive or not, and of course it's getting warmer, so they can survive each year in more northern localities.' 'It's going to get bigger and bigger' Lyme disease is a life-altering infection caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which can spread to humans via tick bites. There are more than 40 varieties of ticks in Canada, and many are known to carry lyme. The species that are of the biggest concern are the blacklegged tick in Eastern Canada and the western blacklegged tick in B.C. While early signs of the disease can be fairly mild, including fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes and a bullseye-shaped rash near the location of the bite, later stages can cause severe headaches, arthritis, spreading pain throughout the muscles, bones and joints, difficulties with thinking and memory and facial paralysis, among other symptoms. First tracked nationally in 2009, reported cases of lyme disease have risen greatly in the past quarter-century, to more than 5,000 in last year's preliminary data from just a few hundred per year in the early 2010s. 'In Canada, there were only a handful of cases only a decade ago,' Millien said. 'It's not a linear relationship, it's exponential when a disease emerges. So it's going to get bigger and bigger, and in an exponential way. That's the expectation.' PHAC notes that cases are often underreported because they go undetected, possibly even to those infected with the disease. Case counts can vary annually due to underlying weather, trends in outdoor activity among humans and prevention efforts by public health authorities, they say. Anyone who develops symptoms after a tick bite, or does after visiting a high-risk area for tick-borne lyme, is advised to contact their heath-care provider. Treatment with antibiotics is most effective soon after exposure, posing the best chance of recovery, though symptoms may persist after treatment is complete, PHAC says. (edited) How to remove a tick George Chaconas is a professor at the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine who studies the bacteria that causes lyme disease. 'If you're in an area known to have ticks, protect yourself,' he told by phone. 'Wear light-coloured clothing, so if you pick up a tick, you can see it. Tuck your pants into your socks. You may look a little bit funny, but if you do that, if a tick gets on your foot and crawls upwards, which is what they do, it's not going to get under your pants and crawl up to your groin or somewhere else.' Tick Twister Removing a tick with ether and a tick removal device. (Photo By BSIP / Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Insect repellants can also help. If bitten, Chaconas says it's important to quickly but carefully remove a tick by the head without squeezing its body. You can then upload a picture of a tick to to have it identified. 'If it's been less than 24 hours, then chances of picking up Lyme disease are very low because Lyme is usually not transmitted until 24 to 48 hours after the tick bite,' he added. 'If it's been on for longer than that, you can also usually tell by what the tick looks like. If it's big and fat and full of blood, then it's been there for a while.' Related:
Global News
17-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Tick season is back. How to stay safe around these risky bloodsuckers
As Canadians flock outdoors for hiking, gardening and sunshine this spring, an unwelcome guest is making its seasonal return: ticks. Thanks to warming winters and milder temperatures, ticks are thriving in more parts of the country than ever before — bringing a growing risk of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. Black-legged ticks, the species responsible for most Lyme disease cases in Canada, are expanding their range rapidly and are now found in parts of every southern province. This spread is closely tied to climate change, which allows ticks to survive winter and move into once-too-cold regions, putting more people and pets at risk. Although there are more than 40 tick species in Canada, the most common one is the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, and its numbers are on the rise. These ticks become active once temperatures hit 4 C, and they'll start looking for a blood meal from animals — or humans. Story continues below advertisement 1:52 Rare tick-borne disease is spreading in Canada, here's what you should know 'The black-legged tick and the western black-legged tick out in the West carry Lyme disease and other diseases. So when we're bitten by ticks, we're at risk of acquiring these diseases,' said Dr. Sarah Keating with the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. This is because ticks are really good at spreading disease, she said. They have their own microbiome, just like we do, full of various microorganisms. When a tick starts feeding, some of these organisms can move into its salivary glands. Then, as the tick injects saliva into our skin to keep the blood flowing and avoid detection, those pathogens can enter our bloodstream and potentially cause disease. More than just a bite Milder winters mean more ticks can survive winter under leaf litter, Keating said. Story continues below advertisement 'In the past, when we had very cold winters, ticks would come on migratory birds. But now they are surviving, and it's becoming much more, particularly in certain areas of Canada … Nova Scotia, southern Quebec, southern Ontario, and southern Manitoba and southern B.C.' And the numbers back that up. Lyme disease is on the rise in Canada. In 2009, there were just 144 reported cases across the country, according to data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). By 2021, that number had jumped to more than 2,800. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy That spike lines up with the growing range of black-legged ticks, which are now found in parts of every southern province. Warmer weather and shifting ecosystems are helping these ticks spread north at a rate of 35 to 55 kilometres each year, studies suggest. While Lyme disease is the most well-known tick-borne illness in Canada, it's far from the only one. As black-legged ticks expand their territory, so does the range of diseases they can carry — and scientists are discovering new threats all the time. Story continues below advertisement 'Babesiosis is a big one,' Keating said. 'There are also illnesses like ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. New pathogens are being discovered all the time.' These lesser-known infections can sometimes be serious, especially for people with weakened immune systems. Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, which ticks can transmit to humans through a bite. It's treatable, but early detection is key. 2:16 Woman opts for assisted death after years of struggling with Lyme disease 'If someone knows they've been bitten by a tick and they develop a rash or flu-like symptoms shortly after, antibiotics can usually clear it up,' Keating said. 'The problem is, many people don't even know they've been bitten. The ticks can be tiny and bite you somewhere you don't see — like your scalp or back.' Symptoms of Lyme disease often appear in stages. In the early phase, people might notice a bull's-eye rash around the bite, fatigue, fever or muscle aches. If untreated, the infection can progress to more serious complications. Story continues below advertisement 'After a few weeks, the nervous system can become involved — you might see facial paralysis like Bell's palsy, joint pain and ongoing fatigue,' she said. 'If it becomes chronic, it can even affect the brain and lead to mental health challenges like depression or, in rare cases, psychosis.' Tick checks are key As ticks become more common across Canada, experts stress the importance of doing regular tick checks, especially after spending time outdoors in grassy, wooded or brushy areas. 'It's very important when people have been outside, especially in the forest or in long grasses, to do a tick check when they come back inside … a complete body tick check, including the scalp, and also to check young children who can't check themselves,' Keating said. But ticks aren't just a problem in the woods; they can also be found in urban areas, including city parks and backyards, explained Justin Wood, CEO of Geneticks, a Canadian company that tests ticks for Lyme disease. Story continues below advertisement 3:49 Tick Season: Essential tips to protect your pets 'What I always tell people is that anywhere that birds can go, ticks can go as well,' he said. 'Ticks often attach to birds and that's how they kind of move around locally and across the country, even across the continent.' Wood also stressed the importance of doing a thorough tick check after spending time outdoors. While adult ticks are easier to spot — about the size of a blueberry when fully engorged — nymphs can be much harder to see, sometimes no bigger than a freckle. If you do find a tick, he said, the first thing to do is safely remove it. This can be done by using fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, then pulling upward. Story continues below advertisement 'As soon as the tick is off, you can start making decisions about what to do next. Our suggestion is always to test the ticks,' Wood said. 'We don't have great diagnostics in the early stages of Lyme disease, so if you've been bitten, it can be very difficult to tell in the earlier stages if there's been transmission of disease. Testing ticks can help people make more informed decisions with the help of their health-care practitioner about what the best next steps are.' Besides doing tick checks, there are other effective ways to help prevent tick bites. Wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent with DEET or icaridin and sticking to the centre of trails can all reduce your risk, he said. What about pets? Pets, especially dogs, can be a major pathway for ticks to enter your home, even if they're not showing any signs of a bite. Story continues below advertisement 'There are preventative medications that can either be taken once a month or once every three months that prevent ticks in dogs,' Keating said. 'If a tick bites the animal, it'll drop off immediately.' Still, she warned that ticks can hitch a ride in a dog's fur and make their way into your home, even if they don't bite your pet. View image in full screen Ticks love to hitch a ride on dogs, so it's important to check them after they've been outside, experts say. Global News 'If they're sitting on your lap or sleeping on your bed, the ticks can then crawl onto the humans,' she said. 'That is a significant risk for pet owners.' Doing tick checks on pets, especially after walks or time outside, is just as important as checking yourself. But it's not always easy. 'I have a big black dog,' Keating added, 'and it's difficult to find ticks on him.' Story continues below advertisement She encouraged pet owners to talk to their veterinarians about tick prevention and medication available.
Global News
07-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
If measles keeps spreading, Canada may lose 30-year elimination status: PHAC
Canada has held measles elimination status for nearly 30 years — but that could be gone by the fall. If the current outbreaks keep growing the way they have been, Canada could lose that status by October 2025, according to a recent risk update from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). 'It is a very substantial public health issue right now. Canada achieved measles elimination in 1998. We've not had outbreaks of this size in more than 30 years,' said Dr. Sarah Wilson, a public health physician from Public Health Ontario. 'I can only use the word startling to describe what it has been like as a public physician. And measles transmission will end once the measles virus stops finding people to infect.' 1:39 Nova Scotia resident becomes province's 1st measles case in 2 years after U.S. visit That means measles vaccination rates have to go up, she said. Story continues below advertisement And cases are not just exploding in Canada, but across the globe, in Europe and the United States, which is also at risk of losing its measles elimination status. Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases — more contagious than diseases like COVID-19, influenza and chickenpox. This high level of contagiousness is one reason why measles outbreaks can spread rapidly, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates. As of April 19, Canada has reported 1,177 measles cases this year across seven provinces, with Ontario seeing the highest numbers. At the same time last year, there were just 65 reported cases. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy This surge, driven largely by pockets of unvaccinated people, marks the largest measles outbreak since the virus was declared eliminated in 1998, PHAC's latest risk assessment said. 'If the current chain of transmission continues beyond October 2025, Canada could lose its elimination status,' PHAC stated. 'Prolonged transmission reflects gaps in population immunity, often due to limited access to or uptake of vaccines, and can lead to preventable illness, long-term complications, and death, especially in vulnerable groups.' The report also said the likelihood of prolonged transmission in the next six months is moderate to high, 'driven by an outbreak involving communities with low immunity to measles.' Story continues below advertisement What is elimination status Elimination status doesn't mean measles is completely gone (that would be eradication), but it does mean the disease is no longer spreading continuously within the country. Canada achieved measles elimination in 1998, after years of strong vaccination efforts. That meant measles was no longer really spreading via community transmission, and most cases were linked to travel. And Canada was able to reach elimination status as a 'direct result' of successful vaccination programs, PHAC said. But, in recent years, measles has resurfaced due to a decline in vaccination rates. 1:59 Ontario's measles outbreak sees biggest spike in cases yet Because the measles virus can spread before symptoms appear and remain contagious for an extended period, outbreaks are difficult to contain once they begin. Story continues below advertisement 'Unfortunately, we know that measles has been introduced into parts of the province where we have pockets of unvaccinated and under-vaccinated individuals,' Wilson said. To effectively prevent measles outbreaks and maintain herd immunity, at least 95 per cent of the population must be vaccinated. A study published in October 2024 in the Canadian Journal of Public Health found that vaccination rates for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine declined in 2023 compared with 2019, before the pandemic. Specifically, coverage for one dose of MMR dropped from 89.5 per cent to 82.5 per cent. 'If people are fully vaccinated, they are not at risk of this outbreak,' Wilson said. 'And for individuals who are not, I would really encourage people to speak to a trusted health care provider in terms of ensuring that their questions are answered .' 1:58 Unvaccinated Ontario child dies of measles, sparks concern among health community This is because complications from measles can be serious, including pneumonia, brain swelling, permanent hearing loss and even death, especially in young children or those with weakened immune systems. Story continues below advertisement The measles vaccine is available in Canada as measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine. The first dose of a measles-containing vaccine is usually given to children at 12 months of age. The second dose is usually given at 18 months of age or between four and six years of age. Since its approval in Canada in 1963, the vaccine has led to a decrease of more than 99 per cent in measles cases, according to the federal government.
