As we move into cooler fall weather, Southeast Public Health is reminding the public that it is still important to take steps to prevent bites from ticks and mosquitoes to avoid vector-borne diseases including Lyme disease and West Nile virus.
In 2026, the Southeast Public Health region has seen cases of West Nile virus, a disease that is transmitted through bites from infected mosquitoes. Additionally, our region is a high-activity area for blacklegged ticks, which can carry bacteria that cause Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. Although less common, blacklegged ticks can also carry and transmit other disease-causing agents to humans which result in infections such as babesiosis and Powassan virus disease. Lower local temperatures mean less activity from mosquitoes, but ticks can be found at any time of the year when the temperature is above freezing (0°C). The public should continue taking precautions to prevent mosquito and tick bites throughout the fall to protect themselves and their families against vector-borne diseases.
These additional precautions will also help to reduce your risk of vector-borne infection:
- Doing a full-body check for ticks after being outdoors or at least once per day and promptly removing any attached ticks.
- Using Health Canada approved insect repellents containing DEET or Icariden. When applying repellant, follow the manufacturer’s and be sure to check if the repellent is safe for younger children before applying.
- Wearing permethrin treated clothing, as well as light colours, long sleeves and pants, socks, closed footwear, and tucking your pants into your socks.
- Showering within two hours of returning indoors to remove loosely attached ticks.
- Being mindful that pets may also bring ticks into the home. Talk to your vet about protecting your pets from ticks.
- Creating a tick-free zone around your property.
- Putting clothes worn outdoors in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes to kill any ticks.
- Avoiding the outdoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
- Removing standing water outside your home and covering rain barrels with screen mesh to prevent mosquito breeding.
- Fixing tears in window and door screens that mosquitoes can get through.
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease include rash (may not be circular or “bull’s eye”), fatigue, muscle pain, headache, fever/chills, stiff neck, and decreased appetite. More serious symptoms can include facial palsy, heart block, meningitis, and arthritis. Most symptoms of Lyme disease usually appear between three and 30 days after a bite from an infected blacklegged tick.
Signs and symptoms of anaplasmosis can include fever/chills, severe headache, muscle aches and pains, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and/or loss of appetite and typically show within 7 and 21 days from the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.
Signs and symptoms of babesiosis may include fever/chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea, and fatigue within 7 and 30 days from the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. Most infections have no symptoms; however, babesiosis may also cause a type of anemia called hemolytic anemia, with symptoms including fatigue, jaundice and dark urine. Other severe symptoms include thrombocytopenia (unusually low number of platelets in the blood) and kidney failure.
Signs and symptoms of Powassan virus disease can include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, extreme weakness, and muscle aches and pains within 7 and 30 days from the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. Most infections have no symptoms; however, a person may develop symptoms of severe disease, which includes confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking, paralysis, seizures or coma.
Signs and symptoms of West Nile virus include several days of mild flu-like illness with fever, headache and body aches, 2 to 15 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Less than one per cent of infected persons develop more severe disease, including neurological disease that can be fatal. The risk of severe disease is higher for older adults, people who are immunocompromised, and those with high blood pressure. If you experience symptoms of illness after spending time outdoors, visit a health-care provider or a pharmacist for assessment and possibly treatment.
Public Health conducts regular mosquito trapping to test mosquitoes for West Nile virus. The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative also monitors wildlife for evidence of West Nile virus. Residents can report dead birds by visiting their website.
Please note that ticks are no longer accepted by Southeast Public Health, but can be identified at etick.ca. For more information on vector-borne diseases visit SoutheastPH.ca.
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Media contact:
Communications@SoutheastPH.ca
