The return of heat to the province is synonymous with outdoor activities and sunbathing, but Quebecers will have to remain vigilant in nature this spring while a rare and dangerous disease is slowly spreading in Canada.
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Like every year, the heat will bring in its wake its share of bugs, including an increasing number of ticks carrying various bacteria, viruses and parasites.
One of them, the blacklegged tick or “deer tick”, is known to transmit babesiosis, a parasitic infection that can be fatal, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised, can we read on the site of the National Collaborating Center for Environmental Health.
Babesiosis can lead to fever, muscle aches, and headaches, but also to acute respiratory distress syndrome, kidney failure, or even death, if severe complications occur.
In 2015, the number of babesiosis cases in the United States was 2,074, in 33 states, but has continued to spread gradually ever since, and closer and closer to the border.
In Canada, a few cases have been reported in Manitoba and Ontario, although the disease is not yet endemic, according to the publication dating from last August.
In recent years, the blacklegged tick, which also carries Lyme disease, has nevertheless been spreading more and more towards the north of the province.
Cases had been observed in particular as far as Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean last year, when it is already well present in Estrie and Montreal, said Carl Dubois, vice-president of the association of the disease. of Lyme in Quebec (AMLQ).
In general, “we are seeing more ticks, which are spreading to new regions of Canada. This means that we will probably see an increase in cases [de maladies]Justin Wood, founder of Genetics, a Canadian lab that analyzes tick-borne diseases, told Global News on Thursday.
This increase in the presence of ticks is notably caused by climate change, which facilitates the growth of ticks by making the environment more conducive to their development.
“We seem to have less intense winters, which can contribute to the survival rate of ticks,” he continued.
Ticks can be active above 4 degrees Celsius.
It is recommended to wear long clothes in the forest or in tall grass, wear quality mosquito repellent and examine yourself from head to toe as soon as possible.
