Lyme disease increases in Outaouais

July 3, 2018

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The Equity

Chris Lowrey
PONTIAC July 4, 2018
According to Centre intégré de Santé et Services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO), the number of ticks in the Outaouais that carry Lyme disease is on the uptick.
Recently-released data from CISSSO shows that about 20 per cent of ticks in the region carry Lyme disease.
In 2017, there were two reported human cases of Lyme disease in the Outaouais. Across the province, 329 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2017, which represents a sharp increase from the 177 people in 2016.
In order to prevent tick bites, avoid overgrown and wooded areas, be sure to use an insect repellant with DEET, wear long-sleeved, light-coloured clothing and tuck your pant legs into your socks when in overgrown areas.
The quickest way to remove a tick is to grab the tick between its head and your skin with a pair of sharp tweezers.
Check yourself and your pets when you’ve been in a wooded area. Make sure to remove the tick as quickly as possible. If the tick is removed in the first 24 hours the chance of contracting Lyme disease is dramatically reduced.

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