As temperatures climb and weather patterns shift, are we facing a silent epidemic beyond just rising sea levels and extreme weather? Public health experts are sounding the alarm: climate change isn’t just an environmental threat—it’s a public health crisis, with tick-borne illnesses on the rise across North America.
Dr. Emily Carter, an epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control (CDC), explains, “The warming climate expands the geographical range where ticks can survive and thrive. Milder winters and longer warm seasons mean a longer window for tick activity, and that translates directly into more human encounters.”
This expansion isn’t just theoretical. Reports from across Canada and the U.S. show a marked increase in cases of Lyme disease, as well as the emergence of other, lesser-known tick-borne infections like anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. “We’re seeing ticks in places where they simply weren’t found a decade ago,” adds Dr. Carter.
Consider these key points:
- Geographical Expansion: Ticks are moving into previously uninhabitable regions due to milder temperatures.
- Prolonged Activity: Warmer weather extends the tick season, increasing the risk of human exposure.
- Emerging Diseases: Beyond Lyme, other tick-borne illnesses are becoming more prevalent.
- Diagnostic Challenges: Many of these diseases present with flu-like symptoms, making accurate and timely diagnosis difficult.
In Manitoba, Canada, Heather Coatsworth, from the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, stresses the particularly fast pace of climate change effects in the country, and this creates the ideal conditionds for ticks.
The data paints a stark picture. In Canada, when monitoring began in 2009, only 144 cases of Lyme were reported. For 2024, the premliminary count jumped to 5,239, and that might even be underreported.
Janet Sperling, president of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, highlights a critical gap: “A lot of doctors have been told , this was their training , ‘you can’t get Lyme disease in Alberta; if you don’t have a travel history don’t worry about it.’” She adds, “There’s no doubt that it has changed and the education hasn’t caught up with some of the doctors,”
This diagnostic delay can have serious consequences. Early-stage Lyme disease is typically treatable with antibiotics. However, if left undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to debilitating long-term health problems affecting the joints, heart, and nervous system.
Adding to the worry are conditions like Anaplasmosis that are harder to detect. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, symptoms are similar to Lyme, sans the telltale rash. Officials started monitoring for the disease in 2012 when the total cases annually were between 10 and 50. In 2023, they recorded more than 700 incidents.
So, what can be done to protect ourselves and our communities?
Beyond public health initiatives, individual preventative measures are crucial. Dr. Mayank Singal, with the BC Centre for Disease Control, advocates for similar precautions as mosqito control. Here’s what experts recommend:
- Wear protective clothing: Long sleeves, long pants, and tucking pants into socks or boots can minimize exposed skin.
- Use insect repellent: Apply insect repellent containing DEET or picaridin to skin and clothing, following product instructions carefully.
- Stay on marked trails: Avoid walking through tall grass and brush where ticks are more likely to be present.
- Perform tick checks: After spending time outdoors, thoroughly inspect your body, clothing, and pets for ticks. Pay close attention to areas like the hairline, armpits, groin, and behind the knees.
- Remove ticks promptly: If you find a tick, remove it carefully with tweezers, grasping it as close to the skin as possible and pulling it straight out. Avoid twisting or jerking the tick, which can cause it to break off and leave its mouthparts embedded in the skin.
- Wash and dry clothing: After being outdoors, wash your clothes in hot water and dry them on high heat to kill any ticks that may be present.
The key, specialists say, is constant vigilance. One local resident, Sarah Miller, recounted a recent experience: “I was just gardening in my backyard, and I found a tick on my leg. It happened when no one was watching, and I never even went near the woods. It was a wake-up call.”
But even with the correct precautions, mistakes can happen. A typo in a public health announcment left some in confusion, but a correction was issued swiftly.
While these preventative measures are effective, the underlying issue remains: climate change is exacerbating the problem. Addressing this requires a multifaceted approach, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to investing in public health infrastructure and research. We must also stay informed. Russell adds that taking a photograph of the tick and sending it to etick.ca can help identify the bug as well as the disease risk in the relevant area.
Without coordinated action, the rise in tick-borne illnesses will continue to threaten public health, particularly for vulnerable populations and those living in areas most affected by climate change. We must act now to protect ourselves, our communities, and future generations from this emerging epidemic.
