Experts say Alberta Lyme disease risk is very low

Health officials say the risk of contracting Lyme disease in Alberta is relatively low,but some advocates say the threat isn't taken seriously enough.

Lymediseaseis an infection caused byBorrelia burgdorferibacteria. In Canada, it's transmitted by two species of ticks that suck on the blood of humans and other animals: theblacklegged tick (or deer tick,Ixodes scapularis) and thewestern blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus).

If detected early, the treatment is a short course of antibiotics that cures the majority of people.Left untreated, it can result in facial palsy, meningitis, heart problems, nerve damage and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

Of the 2,781 ticks submitted to the Alberta tick surveillance program in 2016, 181 were of the black-legged variety and only 34 tested positive for theLymediseasebacteria.

• Submit a tick: tracking the pesky carriers ofLymedisease in Alberta

According to Alberta Health, there were 10 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the province in 2016. So far this year, there have been four.

All of the confirmed cases of the disease this year were acquired outside of the province, said deputy chief medical officer of health Dr. Martin Lavoie.

"The risk of acquiringLymedisease in Alberta is considered very low," he said. "It's not zero and we're not saying that it's zero."

Lavoiesaid infected ticks registered in the province were brought in by deer or migratory birds.

In 2016,Canada's top public health officer at the time Dr. Gregory Taylorsaid an increase inLymedisease casesin the country was a concern.

In 2015, there weremore than 700 cases ofLymediseasereported to the Public Health Agency of Canada. In 2009, therewere 128cases.

However, there'sa division in Canadaon how to interpret the blood test forLymedisease, how to treat it and whether there is achronicversion with a variety of symptoms such as generalized pain and fatiguethat can last years or decades.

While mainstream physicians in Canada and the U.S. following criteria from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wouldn't put patients on antibiotics for several months or longer, some clinicians do but others warn the practice risks promoting antibiotic resistance and can harm patients.

How to protect yourself from ticks

Recommended precautions to avoid picking up ticks include:

• Cover up with light-coloured clothing to spot ticks more easily.
• Walk in the centre of designated trails.
• Wear closed-toed shoes.
• Tuck your pant legs into your socks to prevent ticks from crawling up your legs.
• Tuck your shirt in to prevent ticks from getting onto your skin.
• Use insect repellents that containDEETorIcaridin.
• Have a friend give a quick scan at regular intervals to check if a tick is crawling on you.
• When you return home, change your clothes and hang the clothes outside so ticks don't enter the house. Run the clothes through a washer and dryer.
• Shower or bathe within two hours of being outdoors to wash away loose ticks.

In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more beforeLymedisease bacteria can be transmitted, according to theU.S.Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention.

Risk isn't being taken seriously enough, some say

However, some people feel the medical community isn't taking the risk seriously enough.

Rosie Numan says she struggled for years and was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2013.

"Iwas misdiagnosed for many years with multiple illnesses ranging from something as mild as chronic tonsillitis and sinusitis tofibromyalgiaand chronic fatigue and irritable bowel," she said.

Numan said she was bitten by a tickat the age of six and has been sick most of her life.

JanetSperling, a University of Alberta researcher and member of the advocacy group CanadianLymeDisease Foundation, said she would like to see doctors in Alberta receive better training in how to identify and diagnose thedisease.

"If you are one of the people that getsLymedisease, it's probably going tobe missed because nobody's really looking forLymedisease," she said.