4 new cases of Lyme disease found in Nova Scotia

Residents in the Lunenburg area are being asked to take precautions after four more cases of Lyme disease were found there this summer.

The discovery brings to eight the number of cases in Nova Scotia since 2002, six in the last two years.

Lyme disease, which can cause a type of arthritis,affects mainly the large joints and is passed on by bacteria transmitted by ticks.

Symptoms include a "bull's eye" rash surrounding the bite, stiff neck, joint swelling, temporary paralysis, a mild form of encephalitis and a change in heart rhythm. They are treated by antibiotic.

Dr. Richard Gould, medical officer of health for the South Shore district health authority, told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald it's hard to pin down why the numbers have been higher lately.

"These new cases all come from the same area, and we expected there may be more because some 30 per cent of ticks tested north and east of Lunenburg were infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease," he said.

The increase in cases may simplybe a result of random fluctuation orthe fact that doctors and patients are more aware of the threat and thus diagnosing it more effectively,Gould said.

The South Shore authority is recommending people use an insect repellent that contains DEET, check themselves and others when they've been in grassy areas or the woods and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants in the brush.