in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 2, 20 19 | 4 380 Sherin Drive, Oakville, Ontario 905.847.1413 www.vistamere.ca Retirement Living At Its Best Discover Your Choices Call today for your personal tour. We'd love to have you join us! • Large Patio Suites • Daily Maid & Laundry Services • Worry Free Lifestyle in a Community Setting • 3 Meals A Day & Planned Activities It's that time of year again when ticks become active, searching for their next meal on nearby ani- mals and humans. With the number ofWith the number ofW blacklegged ticks found lo- cally on the rise, much of Halton region will be iden- tified for the first time this year as an "estimated risk area" for Lyme disease by Public Health Ontario (PHO). So what does that mean? Estimated risk areas are defined by PHO as locations where blacklegged ticks have been identified or are known to occur and where humans have the potential to come in contact with in- fected ticks.fected ticks.f The areas are calculated and mapped as a 20-kilo- metre radius from the cen- tre of a location where blacklegged ticks were found through active sur-found through active sur-f veillance. The Halton Region health department con- ducted such tick surveil- lance in the spring and fall last year, through a method known as tick dragging, where a piece of white flan- nel cloth that mimics the fur of animals is pulledfur of animals is pulledf through terrain suspected of harbouring ticks. This process led to three locations being identified as new risk areas: Royal Bo- tanical Gardens (four ticks found in the spring, 26 infound in the spring, 26 inf the fall), Bronte Creek Pro- vincial Park (one tick found in the spring, six in the fall) and Mount Nemo Conser- vation Area (one tick found in the spring, one in the fall).fall).f "Based on the results from 2018, most of Haltonfrom 2018, most of Haltonf Region will now be identi- fied as an estimated risk ar-fied as an estimated risk ar-f ea for Lyme disease," says Halton commissioner and medical officer of health Dr. Hamidah Meghani in a re- cent report on the topic. Despite the new status, she says, the risk of expo- sure to infected black- legged ticks is currently low. None of the ticks found through the 2018 dragging process tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, a bac- terial species known to cause Lyme disease. "Historical evidence in Ontario indicates that, once blacklegged tick popula- tions are established, they will, over several years, be- come infected with B. burg- dorferi," notes Meghani's report. Ticks are also submitted to the health department by residents who've found the small arachnids on them- selves or family members. In 2017 and 2018, two ticks acquired in Halton from human sources were posi- tive for Lyme disease each year. The health department monitors cases of Lyme dis- ease in Halton residents, with 44 laboratory reports for Lyme disease testing re-for Lyme disease testing re-f ported to officials in 2018. Of those, 10 were classified as confirmed cases and two were probable cases of the disease. Two of the confirmed cases were found to have ex- posure to Lyme disease within Halton, with the re- mainder coming from other locations in Ontario and farther, including New farther, including New f HALTON DEEMED AN 'ESTIMATED RISK AREA' FOR LYME DISEASE MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@ metroland.com ANALYSIS See - page 5 QUESTION: WHY IS HALTON BEING DEFINED AS AN ESTIMATED RISK AREA FOR LYME DISEASE? CONCLUSION: 2018 ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE RESULTS DETERMINED THE BLACKLEGGED TICK POPULATION, WHICH CAN CARRY BACTERIA THAT CAUSES LYME DISEASE, IS ON THE RISE IN HALTON REGION. Halton's new status as an estimated risk area for Lyme disease comes as no surprise to local residents living with the condition, like Jodi Stansfield. Melanie Hennessey/Metroland