Lyme Disease: Stay Vigilant on the Trails

Previously unknown in our latitudes, Lyme disease has been steadily progressing northwards: it affects more and more hikers. It begins with localized rash but can progress to severe neurological disorders. On excursions, be careful!

Black-legged tick

Lyme disease is gradually gaining ground northward. In northeastern United States and Quebec, only the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) carries the bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi) responsible for the disease. It is transmitted to humans by the painless bite of an infected tick. The female tick is red-brown in color, and the nymph is beige and almost transparent. Their volume, starting as small as a poppy seed (1mm) for nymphs to a sesame seed (3mm) for adults, swells with the blood of the host. Transmission only occurs at an ambient temperature above 4°C and the risk of transmission increases significantly if the tick remains attached for more than 24 to 36 hours.

How to avoid?

To prevent infection during forest excursions, you must:

• Wear long pants, socks, a hat and long-sleeved shirt. Tuck your pants into your socks
• Wear light-colored clothing to help spot ticks more easily
• Walk in the middle of trails, avoiding contact with tall grass and leaves
• Apply insect repellent to clothing and exposed skin (avoid face) :
  • Picaridine / icaridine up to 20% concentration for 10 hours of protection
  • DEET (30%) up to 6 hours of protection
  • Natural lemon eucalyptus oil, for 5 hours but less effective against ticks
• Once home, take a shower and thoroughly inspect clothes and skin, put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any remaining ticks
• If necessary, remove a tick with tweezers by pulling slowly and steadily without twisting or crushing it. Clean the skin with antiseptic or soap and water.

What are Lyme disease's symptoms and the treatments ?

A rash may appear 3 to 30 days after the bite. Other symptoms include extreme fatigue, joint pain, headaches, facial muscle weakness, eye irritation, and heart palpitations. Long-term neurological disorders may ensue if the disease is left untreated.

Lyme disease is not contagious. It is easier to prevent and treat soon after infection. In many regions, including Quebec, pharmacists can prescribe preventative antibiotics if the tick has been attached for more than 24 hours. If symptoms appear later, a doctor will prescribe the necessary treatment.

Prevention is your best defense!

For more detailed information on how to protect yourself and what to do in case of a bite, consult this handy guide from the INSPQ (PDF)

Source: Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ)