Glut of deer ticks raises fear of Lyme disease
Thunder Bay health unit changes priority to collect deer ticks
CBC News Posted: Jul 2, 2013 1:17 PM ET
An increase in the number of deer ticks in Northwestern Ontario, which can cause Lyme disease, has prompted the Thunder Bay District Health Unit to spend more time on that problem and less on trapping mosquitoes.
Entomologist Ken Deacon says the risk of West Nile virus, carried by mosquitoes, is very low this year.
So, starting Tuesday, the health unit is putting more resources into collecting and studying deer ticks, also called the black-legged tick.
“The trend for the previous years has been from almost no ticks in 2005 to over a thousand ticks last year. I mean, we’re over 500 ticks now, and we’ve got the rest of the summer to go,” Deacon said.