CanLyme supports user-friendly access to tick data in Canada
For immediate release.
Victoria BC – With the arrival of spring and warmer weather the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme) is hoping you will give some consideration to the spread of Lyme disease and the ticks that carry it.
May is Lyme disease awareness month and there is a new Lyme disease podcast and Canadian tick mapping project.
Lyme is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by a bite from an infected tick. Infection is preventable by avoiding tick bites, removing attached ticks early and obtaining adequate treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial because Lyme disease can lead to serious complications if left untreated.
A study by the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention shows that estimates of Lyme disease infection have increased to 476,000 people per year, easily making Lyme the most prevalent vector-borne disease in North America.
A private laboratory in Ontario called Geneticks is now offering a first-of-its-kind interactive map outlining data such as infection prevalence, seasonal tick activity, and regional species composition.”The Geneticks Statistics Center is a public resource designed to provide user-friendly access to tick and tick-borne data collected throughout Canada,” said Justin Wood, CEO Geneticks.
Wood unveiled his interactive tick tracking service on the CanLyme podcast, Looking at Lyme. Host Sarah Cormode contracted Lyme disease in 2012 in her backyard in Victoria and has been speaking with the world’s leading Lyme disease experts on the CanLyme podcast.
“It’s been a real educational journey interviewing leading international experts who are solving the problem of Lyme disease and treatment,” says Cormode. “The Geneticks statistic center is a tremendous resource for the general public to see where people are encountering infected ticks across Canada.”
Contact and press assets
If you would like to interview Sarah Cormode, host of Looking at Lyme, she is available at:
Phone: redacted
Email: scormode [at] gmail [dot] com
Contact us for press assets!
The Looking at Lyme podcast can be heard at www.lookingatlyme.ca
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