Tick season: Tracking the pesky carriers of Lyme disease

A biology professor at Bishop's Universityis asking for the public's help to identify whereticks are crawling around in Quebec.

Dr. Jade Savage helped launch the websiteEtick.ca, in collaboration with theNationalPublic Health Institute of Quebec (INSPQ),as well as the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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"In Canada, information on ticks is not readily available. It is collected but is often summarized in scientific reports," Savage told CBC'sQuebec AM.

Savage said she hopes the new tool will make it easier for people to get the information they need.

The websiteallows citizens tosubmitphotosand the exact locationofticks they come across.

A team of experts will analyze the ticks and will identify whether it is a Ixodes scapularisor black-leggedtick.

Potential threat for Lyme disease

The black-legged tick or ''deer tick,'' is the only species that carries Lyme disease in Eastern Canada.

The symptomsvary from localized infections, to fever and headaches. Theycan also lead to neurological and cardiac problems if untreated.

Public health officials in Quebec started releasing data on the presence of the black-legged tick in 2015.
That year, 160 cases of Lymedisease were reported in the province, a steady increase compared to only 32 cases in 2011.

A map on theINSPQ websiteshows which regions of the province have the highest risk of contracting Lymedisease.

The only municipality considered high riskisFarnham, in the Eastern Townships.

But Savage says this doesn't meanpeople visiting or living in these"hot spots" should beoverly worried.

"If I walk in the streets, I will not pick up a tick inFarnham," she said. "I think it's important that people understand where they will pick up ticks, in what kind of habitat they live in."

Savage says the entries will begeo-referenced, allowing the publicto see where the ticks were found.

What to do in case of bite

"If you find a tick on your skin you need to keep it and bring it to your doctor in case any symptoms come up," Savage said.

Symptoms can occur between threeand30 days after a bite.

Right now, the Haute-YamaskaandBrome-Missisquoi are the only regionsin Quebec where people should ask for preventive antibiotic treatment if they are bitten by a tick.

Otherwise, public health recommendspeople seekmedical help only ifsymptoms appear.

The website could be available in other Canadian provinces by2018.