Tick on a human hand.

Lyme Disease

Home Health and Wellness Illness, Infection and DiseaseLyme Disease

If you have any symptoms related to Lyme disease, or find a tick crawling or feeding on you or a family member, contact your health care provider immediately for advice about treatment.

Tick identification

If you are interested in having a tick identified, eTick.ca is a free online service that uses photographs of ticks for identification by a professional.

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness that affects people and animals. It is spread by the bite of an infected tick.

There are many different types of ticks. Currently, in Ontario, only the black-legged tick can spread Lyme disease. Not all black-legged ticks are infected. Lyme disease cannot spread from person to person.

Watch our public health inspector discuss how to get tick smart and protect yourself.

Lyme Disease in Durham Region infographic

Protect yourself against Lyme disease

Black-legged ticks

Black-legged ticks are usually found in or near wooded or forested areas, in leaf litter, or on bushes and tall grass.
Ticks need blood to survive and they can become infected when they feed on infected wild animals such as birds, rodents or deer. Only then can they spread the infection to humans or pets.
Black-legged ticks are very small. Immature ticks can be the size of a poppy seed and adults the size of a sesame seed.
They often attach to areas of the body where they are hard to see, such as the groin, armpit and scalp.
Ticks cannot fly or jump. Instead, they climb onto grasses or bushes and wait for a host (person or animal) to brush by. A tick will quickly attach and then find a suitable place to bite.

Signs and symptoms

Someone with Lyme disease may experience any of the following symptoms:

Early signs

Expanding rash at the site of a recent tick bite that may look like a "bulls eye".
Fever.
Feeling of discomfort.
Headache.
Joint and muscle pain.
Neck weakness or stiffness.
Fatigue.
Eye irritation.
Behavioural changes.
Sleep trouble.

If left untreated, more severe symptoms may occur. Severe symptoms may include:

Headaches.
More skin rashes.
Facial paralysis.
Muscle, joint, tendon and bone aches that come and go.
Heart issues (palpitations, abnormal heartbeat).
Neurological symptoms including dizziness, mental confusion or trouble thinking clearly, memory loss, visual disturbances, inflammation of the brain or brain lining (causing high fever, stiff neck and headache), nerve pain, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet.
Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, most commonly in the knees and sometimes in other joints such as the ankle, elbow and wrists.

Diagnosis, testing and treatment

Contact your health care provider as soon as possible if you notice signs of Lyme disease or if you have had a black-legged tick attached and feeding for more than 24 hours.

Diagnosis

A diagnosis of Lyme disease is based on:

Signs and symptoms.
History of tick bite - especially if you live or have visited an area considered to be at "high risk" for Lyme disease.
The results of lab testing.

Testing

A blood test is the most common way to test for Lyme disease. However, it should not be the only factor in diagnosing the disease.

Treatment

Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated with two to four weeks of antibiotics.
There is currently no vaccine available in Canada to prevent Lyme disease.

Protecting yourself from tick bites

Wear long pants and long sleeves.
Wear light coloured clothing so that ticks are easier to spot.
Apply an insect repellent containing DEET or Icaridin and follow the application instructions on the product label.
After spending time outdoors in wooded or brushy areas, shower within one to two hours to remove ticks before they can attach to the skin.
Check your full body and head for ticks.
Check your children and pets for ticks.
If you find a tick, remove it as soon as possible.
Remove outdoor clothing as soon as you come indoors and put the clothes immediately into a hot dryer, for at least 15 minutes, prior to washing them.

Learn how to avoid bites from blacklegged ticks, which may carry Lyme disease.

How to remove a tick and have it identified

If you find a tick on yourself or someone else:

Remove it gently with fine-tipped tweezers.
Do not squeeze, try to burn it off, or spray it with insect repellent.
Grab the tick as close to skin as possible.
Pull the tick away from skin gently, but firmly.
Place the tick into a tightly closed container.

Contact your health care provider for diagnostic options and possible treatment if you’ve been exposed to a tick.

How can I have a tick identified

If you are interested in having the tick identified, eTick.ca is a free online service that uses a photograph of the tick to identify its type.

Who is at risk?

Black-legged ticks have been found in Durham Region. This means that these ticks are starting to settle here.

The risk of getting Lyme disease in the Region is low. You have a higher risk if you are an outdoor enthusiast and you live in or visit any area that has black-legged ticks.

Risk locations

Durham Region Health Department's tick surveillance program helps to determine where black-legged ticks have become established in Durham Region. This information helps assess the risk of Lyme disease.

Map of risk locations in Ontario

Role of the Health Department

Durham Region Health Department works to prevent and reduce the spread of Lyme disease in humans through tick surveillance and the investigation of human cases.

Additional information