Do a tick check every time you spend time outside, Guelph and area health unit says

It was once thought the likelihood of encountering ticks was highest in the height of summer and in areas where long grasses could brush up against you.

But new guidance from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says people should be doing tick checks after spending any time outside when the temperature is above 0 C.

Phil Wong is director of operations for health protection with the health unit. He says using a surveillance program where people took photos and submitted information about when and where they encountered ticks, they’ve seen the locations expand beyond wooded trails.

There are three main areas, he said. They are:

• Out in parks and trails and while camping where there’s long grass.
• At people’s homes on private property.
• Occupational exposures for people who work outdoors.

“A lot of the people are getting exposed and submitting ticks when at their home, on their private properties,” he said.

“When they’re gardening, not necessarily in long grass, but certainly they are finding ticks when they’re doing their gardening or they’re out raking leaves.”

He said parents don’t need to be worried about ticks on playgrounds, even those with wood chips, but they should still do a tick check of their children once they go inside.

Ticks “like the damp areas, they don’t like being in direct sunlight too much. So the chances of being in the playgrounds is low,” Wong said.

“Now, if the kids are running around and rolling in the grass and running near the wooded area, then certainly that’s something that – and I wouldn’t even say be concerned about – but as long as you’re doing a tick check on them at the end of the day when they come home, that’s totally fine.”

WATCH | Ticks a growing concern in Canada:

Tick invasion: New species bring new risks to Canada

There are already 40 different types of ticks in Canada, with more species expected to migrate north. For The National, CBC’s Tom Murphy goes to the Canadian Tick Research and Innovation Centre (CTRIC) to find out more about the evolving risk.

More than 40 types of ticks in Canada

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has updated their tick guidance as the local tick population grows and people may encounter them more.

The move comes as experts say Canadians should prepare for a steady invasion of ticks from the U.S.

Health Canada’s website notes there are more than 40 types of ticks in Canada. Some are established here while others may be brought in on hosts like birds and deer. 

Some carry diseases. The Western blacklegged tick, for example, can transmit bacteria, viruses and parasites including Lyme disease. Or there’s the lone star tick which can lead to a person developing a meat allergy.

A new Canadian Tick Research and Innovation Centre opened recently at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. to better study ticks and tick-borne diseases.

There’s also the G Magnotta Lyme Disease Research Lab at the University of Guelph.

Justin Wood is the founder and CEO of Geneticks, a company that tests ticks for Lyme disease, as well as a scientist at the lab. He contracted Lyme disease in 2011 and it took years before he was diagnosed.

“I wasn’t able to walk or take care of myself or spend time with friends or be active or anything like that. I bounced around the medical system for probably close to four years, seeing 20 to 30 doctors before I finally got a diagnosis,” he said.

Now, he says, people are more likely to get diagnosed soon and “early interventions are absolutely critical.”

“If we know that somebody’s been infected early and we catch it within the first couple weeks, we can be really effective in treatment,” he said.

Wood says most people hope ticks will die off during a cold and snowy winter, like the one just experienced in Guelph, Waterloo region and area.

“But the reality is that during these winters what mostly happens is the ticks, they go into the leaf litter and they’re insulated there and they go into sort of a form of tick hibernation. For the most part, the die off of ticks during the winter is not any different than the rest of the year,” he said.

Report ticks online

The health unit wants people to report ticks online so they can be tracked. Public health has a website specifically for submitting photos and information.

Despite the growing risk of encountering ticks, Wong says people shouldn’t stay indoors.

“We don’t really want to scare people from enjoying the outdoors. Our region has beautiful parks, beautiful trails, great outdoor areas. Go out, enjoy yourself. The weather is getting better,” Wong said.

“At the end of the day, as long as you’re doing a tick check and looking for them when you get back into the house … that’s all you’ve got to do.”