Sudbury health unit confirms local case of Lyme disease

A local resident has tested positive for Lyme disease, Public Health Sudbury & Districts said Thursday.

“This is the first locally acquired human case reported … this year,” the health unit said in a news release.

“Lyme disease occurs when a person is bit by a tick carrying the Lyme disease bacterium.”

In Ontario, the blacklegged tick is known to transmit Lyme disease, but Public Health said not all blacklegged ticks carry the Lyme disease bacterium.

To stay safe, residents are being urged to check for ticks after outdoor activities such as gardening or hiking.

“Other precautions to take when outdoors include avoiding tall and overgrown vegetation, wearing long-sleeved clothing that minimizes unexposed skin, and using insect repellants that contain DEET or Icaridin,” Jonathan Groulx, a manager with the health unit, said in the release.

If detected early, Lyme disease can be easily treated with antibiotics. Later stages of the disease may require more aggressive therapy.

The most common symptoms of Lyme disease are flu-like symptoms such as headache, chills, pain in the joints, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, fever, aching muscles, stiff neck, sore throat, and vomiting.

In about two-thirds of people, a skin rash occurs at the location of the tick bite within three to 30 days. The rash often appears as a bull’s eye that slowly expands outwards from the site of the bite over several days.

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Later stages of Lyme disease can involve arthritic, cardiac, and neurological complications. These symptoms can occur weeks, months, or even years after the initial symptoms have disappeared.

Anyone who has been bitten by a tick and develops the above-mentioned symptoms should contact their primary health-care provider.

If a tick is found embedded in the skin, it is important that you don’t crush or damage the tick. If you find a tick attached:

- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grab the tick close to the skin and gently pull straight up.

- Wash the area with soap and water.

- If found on a human, you can put the tick in a dry container and bring it to Public Health to determine if it is a blacklegged species of tick versus a species of tick that cannot carry Lyme disease. Or,

- Submit a photo of the tick to etick.ca to determine which species of tick it is.

For more information on Lyme disease and ticks, call Public Health Sudbury & Districts at 705-522-9200, ext. 464, toll-free 1-866-522-9200, or click here.