‘Every season is tick season’: Experts warn of winter Lyme disease risk [bitten while xmas tree hunting]
[CanLyme Note: Ticks are active in temperatures of minus 4 degrees Celsius and above]
November 22, 2017 by Marina von Stackelberg CBCNEWS
People have ‘let their guard down’ and aren’t checking for ticks as weather cools, says zoologist
Laurenne Schiller loves taking her dog Cousteau for walks along Halifax trails as the weather cools.
But even after the first dusting of snow this week, each walk finishes with a head-to-toe check for blacklegged ticks on her and her collie.
“Talking to other dog owners, people have said they will pick 12 or 15 [ticks] off their dog in an hour-long walk on the trails here,” she said.
Schiller now keeps her furry companion on tick medication year-round.
Bit while Christmas tree shopping
Experts say there is a common misconception that you can’t get Lyme disease in the winter because people believe ticks are no longer active.
“We have this false sense that once it’s getting cold, that we’re safe. But that’s no longer the case,” said Donna Lugar, the Nova Scotia representative for the advocacy group the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation.