2023-07-24 16:45:16
The arrival of summer often rhymes with outdoor activities such as hiking, camping or a picnic with friends. However, once more this year, we must be careful of ticks, particularly in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region, which might carry Lyme disease.
Indeed, according to the Public Health Department of Montérégie (DSPM), the tick carrying Lyme disease is particularly present in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.
The interactive map published by the DSPM shows that in the cities of Vaudreuil-Dorion and Rigaud the risk of exposure to ticks is not only present, but also endemic.
Post-exposure prophylaxis, taking an antibiotic containing doxycycline, is also recommended, but analysis of the insect is not necessary.
For the other cities of the territory, the risk remains high, without however being endemic. taking post-exposure prophylaxis is always advised, as is tick analysis.
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of a tick carrying the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. It can affect humans and animals.
Every year, regarding a hundred people in Montérégie contract Lyme disease, which is transmitted to humans by a tick infected with bacteria.
In 2022, in Montérégie alone, 113 people were diagnosed with the disease. Of this name, 105 had been bitten by a tick in their city of residence.
As the diagnosis of Lyme disease can, in some cases, be difficult to make, the actual number of cases is probably higher than the number of reported cases. However, in Quebec, Lyme disease has been a reportable disease (MADO) since 2003.
Physicians and laboratory managers who detect a case of Lyme disease must therefore inform the public health authorities. This system makes it possible to follow the evolution of the disease in Quebec.
Symptoms
Tick bites are usually painless and often go unnoticed.
The most common symptom is redness on the skin that causes little or no pain or itchiness. It appears at the site of the bite, most commonly on the thighs, groin, armpits or trunk.
It is sometimes located in places that are difficult to see, such as the back of the knees, the bottom of the buttocks or the lower back, the scalp, the back of the ears, the eyebrows, the navel or between the toes.
Besides redness, the tick bite can cause headaches, fever, fatigue, and muscle and joint pain.
The first symptoms of Lyme disease usually appear between 3 and 30 days following being bitten by a tick carrying the bacteria.
Symptoms of Lyme disease can vary from person to person. It can also lead to more serious consequences such as arthritis or nervous system disorders if not treated in time.
Easy to prevent
The good news is that a few simple precautions can prevent this disease:
Stay on maintained trails to avoid contact with ticks, which usually hang out in tall grass and shrubs; Apply mosquito repellent to the skin (containing DEET or icardine) according to the manufacturer’s recommendations or wear clothing that covers the skin when the temperature allows it; Examine his body, that of his children and pets upon returning home to locate and remove any ticks that may have attached themselves to the skin.
How to remove it?
The longer the tick remains in contact with the skin, the greater the risk of contamination.
It is possible to use fine forceps with pointed ends (splinter forceps) to extract the tick from the skin. Place the tweezers as close to the surface of the skin as possible and, with a steady, steady motion, pull the tick perpendicular to the skin without rotating.
However, you must avoid crushing or perforating the tick, which increases the risk of contamination. If a small part of the tick remains in the skin, remove it with the tweezers – it can no longer transmit the bacteria. Wash your hands and the bite site with soap and water following removing the tick.
To find out how, consult the dedicated website at quebec.ca/sante/conseils-et-prevention/sante-et-environnement/retrait-dune-tic-en-case-de-bite.
Possible treatments
The risk of contracting the disease increases when the tick remains attached to the skin for more than 24 hours.
However, the disease can be treated with an antibiotic. It is possible to obtain it quickly in prophylaxis in doubt as a prevention.
Pharmacists can now prescribe it in cases where the tick is lodged or has bitten an infected part of the body. It must have remained attached to the skin for more than 24 hours.
To learn more regarding Lyme disease, the Public Health Department of Montérégie invites citizens to consult the portal Maladiedelymemonteregie.com
1690217434
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