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-LYME DISEASE CAN HAVE SERIOUS, LONG-TERM EFFECTS: REGION } Continued from page 1 E the bacteria that causes —Lyme disease, which they ® can pass through their bite when they feed on the 2 blood of a person or ani- 2 mal. S These ticks were found at Aspen Forest Park, Langtry Park and Glenor- chy Conservation Area in akville, as well as Hid- den Valley Park, LaSalle Park, Lowvil ‘k and Twelve Mile Trail in Bur- lington. Others were discovered at Kelso and Rattlesnake Point conservatic in Milton and Mountserg conducted at the Rennie Street Woodlot in Acton, but no ticks were found. Langtry Park was the site where the most ticks were discovered (nine), fol- lowed by Twelve Mile Trail (six). Testing is currently un- derway to tured ticks are infected with Lyme disease. Additional tick drag- ging will take place in the Spring and fall tick dragging by the region re- sulted in the discovery of 73 black-legged ticks at seven different Halton locations Five of those ticks tested positive for Lyme disease. While ticks typically Oakville Chamber of Commerce ‘witter photo dwell in wooded, bushy or tall grass areas, this doesn't mean people have to go toa conservation area to encounter Tuesday, May 16, staff at St. Benedict Catho- lic Elementary School in Milton sent an email home to parents after a few stu- dents were found with ticks on their bodies. "We are encouraging our students to avoid sit- ting or playing near the back ore ‘our school property where there is high grass in the public space behind ur school," wrote princi- pal Mark Witter, Being bitten by an infec- ted tick can have signifi- cant consequences. Halton Region staff note the common signs and symptoms of Lyme disease include a circular, red rash, which slowly ex- pands around the tick bite area; extreme fatigue; headache and neck stiff- ness and fever or chills. Additional symptoms can include: mental confu- sion, central and Peripher al nervous system disor- Public Health Ontario photo ret: Dr. Deepika Lobo, Associate N Medical Officer of Health, Halton Region is warning residents to it . Above numerous parks and a across the region. ders and arthritis and ar- thritic symptoms (muscle and. joint aches, joint swell- According to the region, Lyme disease may have long-term effects on the joints, nervous system and left untreated or fad ineuherentiy Some people may ‘expe- rience symptoms that last months to years after treat- ment. Rafael Olejniczak of the ton Agreement Forest Trail Association took to social media on May 12 to warn members to keep themselves safe from ticks. "I contracted Lyme dis- ease from ticks a few years ago and it was one of the worst sicknesses I dealt as nx, cg Since ‘82! 7 insidehalton.com ¢ Factory trained Technicians ¢ Repair parts on our trucks ¢ Repairs to all makes & models * Google Reviews ke (4 1/2 Stars) 905-523-8751 We service and repair or replace all makes and Models. We have pool heaters in stock in our warehouse for fast replacement, often ina day or two. with," he said in a Face- book post. "That aera ally messed with m: and body... “forgetting me sluggishness, loss of bal- ind feeling terrible were some things caused by it and perhaps I still suf- fer mildly from that. Fortu- nately, I seem to have re- covered fairly well, but I know a few friends who ar still affected by this disease many years after their bites." Olejniczak also wrote that he was initially misdi- agnosed with the flu, and it was only when the telltale red circles showed up that a different doctor put him on antibiotics. The Halton Region's as- sociate medical officer of Always Here e: Black-legged ticks have been found at health, Dr. Deepika Lobo, said there are several mea- sures residents can take to prevent tick bites. bi possible, avoid known | lick environments m trails wl ontoor ‘Cover up ce sleeved, light ne ured shirts and pants with tightly woven fabric. Tuck your shirt into your pants and your pant legs into your socks to keep ticks away from your bare skin," “Spray shina and ex- posed skin with an insect repellent containing DEET Icaridin. Check your Clothing and body for any ticks, especially around the groin, armpits and hairline after spending to Help You! v Patient Counselling v¥ Complete Diabetic Care /¥ Home Visits ¥ Consultations v Free RX Delivery ¥ Free Nutrition Counselling ¥ Vaccinations Y Cholesterol, AIC, AFib and DNA Screening time outdoors. Carefully remove any ticks found on yourself or a family mem. ber and submit them to the Halton Region Health De- partment for identifica- tion." Other tips included: checking pets regularly for Cc hours of being outdoors to wash away loose ticks; and putting clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes following outdoor activity. le Ontario Public Health has classified all of Halton as a Lyme disease risk area, the government agency noted black-legged ticks feed on and are trans- ported by migratory birds, which means there is a pos- sibility of encountering an infected black- Teeged t tick almost anywhere in Onta- ri Ace ording to disease no- tification data supplied to from 144 cases reported in Canada in 2009 to 2,168 cases reported in 2022. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Halton Region recently completed its spring "tick dragging" pha and we thought fo let dela jalan v here they were found and how they can protect themselves. 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