A tick in Windsor and Essex County has tested positive for Lyme disease, prompting a warning from the local health unit.
“This is a wake-up call for the residents of Windsor and Essex County to take appropriate precautions when venturing into wooded or grassy areas,” said the Windsor and Essex County Health Unit in a release.
The blacklegged tick was found on an individual who attended Point Pelee National Park in April. It was sent to the National Microbiological Laboratory in Winnipeg, where it was confirmed as a carrier of Borrelia burgdorferi or Lyme disease.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Allen Heimann advises area residents to protect themselves by taking the following steps:
- Not walking in tall grass.
- Staying in centre of path when hiking.
- Changing clothes and showering when coming in from outside. Showering will help wash off ticks that have not yet attached to you.
- Doing a full-body check when coming in from outside.
- Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants that are light in colour. Pants should be tucked into your shoes or socks.
- Wearing closed-toed shoes.
- Checking pets after coming indoors.
- Using repellents that contain 20% or more DEET on exposed skin (read instruction label first).
- Using Permethrin-containing products should be used on clothing (read instruction label first).
- Making sure your yard is clear of debris, overgrown vegetation, the grass is cut short, and bushes and trees are trimmed.
- Keeping wood piles and bird feeders away from the house.
- Not letting your pets roam through the woods.
- Creating a three metre boarder of gravel, mulch, or wood chips around your lawn.
