Ticks carrying Lyme disease sought by Windsor health unit

A dragnet was deployed in Windsor on Wednesday as the health unit scoured tall grass for disease-carrying ticks that could be harmful to humans.

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit was looking for ticks to make sure none has Lyme disease.

Tick dragging took place in three local areas, including Ojibway Park, to search for black-legged ticks that are known to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. If any are found, they are sent to labs for testing.

Three black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks, were found in Ojibway last year.

Members of the public have delivered 47 ticks to the health unit this year. The health unit has received results for 32 of them. Thirty-one were dog ticks and one was a lone star tick.

Lyme disease spreads through a bacterial infection and can cause paralysis and debilitate a person in its later stages.

If a tick is found on the skin after being outdoors it should be removed within 24 hours, health unit inspector Jennifer Lee said.

"It is a serious illness if you catch it, but if you prevent it or catch it in its early stages, you have a better chance of having it treated," she said.

In order to remove the bug, people can use a tick key provided by the health unit, but tweezers can also be used. When using tweezers, you should grab it close to the skin and pull it outwards without twisting, then wash the bite location and use disinfectant.

Some residents were concerned when they visited the park and saw people searching for ticks Wednesday.

"I think everybody, in the back of their mind, is worried about it a little bit," Paula Saunders said.

Saunders is manager of the Ontario Early Years Centre Drouillard Place and brought several kids with her to the park.

People can prevent being bitten by:

• Avoiding walking in tall grass.
• Changing clothes and showering after coming in from outside.
• Wearing bug repellent such as DEET on exposed skin.
• Wearing closed toe shoes.

At home, people can also prevent getting bitten by:

• Keeping grass cut short.
• Not letting pets near wooded areas.
• Keeping wood piles and bird feeders away from homes.