Ottawa sees summer's first cases of lyme disease

Ottawa Public Health iswarning people to take precautions this summerto prevent bites from deer ticks, insects that can potentially transmita debilitating disease.

Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in Canada and OPH says that so far this summer, 10people in Ottawa have become infected.

From just a handful of cases a few years ago,the number of people in Ottawa diagnosed withlymedisease has grown steadily.

Last year there were 71 cases,more than triple the number from the year before.

Wear long pants, bug repellant

About a quarter of those peoplewere infectedin the Ottawa area. Therest of the Ottawa residentswere infected in other "hot spots,"including along the St. Lawrence River and the northern United States.

Robin Taylor, the city'sassociate medical officer of health,says the public health agency is making sure people know lymediseasecan be contractedfrom tick bites in Ottawa.

OPH recommends that if you are out for a hike,you shouldwear long pants and bug repellant, andavoid contact with bushes and long grasses.

Kerryand Jean Tong, a Hamilton, Ont., couple recently camping in the Ottawa area with their family, say theyare taking that message to heart.

They loveto taketheir six-year-olddaughterSophie and four-year-old sonLoganfor walks in the forest,but once they areback to the campsite, the kids undergo a careful inspectionfor ticks.

"Being outside and going for hikes in thewoods,it'simportant to us," Jean Tong said."So we are aware of [lyme disease]and have noticed an increasein ...the news and that so it has become more prevalent in our every day."

If discovered, remove tick promptly

If you discover a tick imbedded in your skin, Taylor said it's important to remove it promptly but also carefully using a pair of tweezers or a tick key.OPHoffers tips on how to do thaton itswebsite.For more tips on what to do when ticks are found, visit this Government of Canada website.

Then, Taylor saysyou need to watch for symptoms.

"A common symptom, but it doesn't occur all the time, is what we call a bulls-eye rash," she said. "It grows quite large, and those happen anytime from a few days to a month after the tick bite."

If a rash develops OPH recommends you contact your doctor immediately and start taking antibiotics.

Left untreated, people with lyme disease often develop flu-like symptoms. Over the longtermit can lead to debilitating joint pain, heart and memory problems.