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The Middlesex-London Health Unit is sounding the alarm after the discovery this month of the first tick in the London area with a bacteria that can cause severe illness in older people.
The tick had Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria, the health unit said Wednesday.
The bacteria that is usually spread by the blacklegged tick causes anaplasmosis. Symptoms of the disease such as fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite begin about one to two weeks after the bite of an infected tick, the health unit said.
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If left untreated by antibiotics, anaplasmosis can cause severe respiratory illness and be life-threatening. People over the age of 65 and those whose immunity is compromised are at a greater risk for becoming severely ill, the health unit said.
The National Post has reported the first case of anaplasmosis in Ontario was detected in 2018 and there were 40 cases of the illness in 2023.
“It is important to protect yourself from ticks carrying bacteria,” the health unit said.
Blacklegged ticks also are known to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and the parasite that causes babesiosis, a disease with flu-like symptoms.
Both have been found this year in local ticks, the health unit said.
Tips to protect yourself from ticks:
- Wear long pants and long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes, and tuck your pants into your socks when walking in grassy or wooded areas
- Apply insect repellent or bug spray containing DEET or Icaridin to clothing and exposed skin
- Check yourself, family members, pets and outdoor gear after leaving an area where ticks may live
- Bathe as soon as possible after returning home.
Visit www.healthunit.com/ticks for more information including how to safely remove a tick.
hrivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP
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