Point Edward, ON – Warmer weather offers more chances for outdoor recreation that can improve both physical and mental health, but it also sees an increase in the activity of ticks and mosquitos that can transmit Lyme disease and West Nile Virus to humans through bites. Lambton Public Health (LPH) is encouraging you to Prevent the Bite by:
- Using insect repellant, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants (when appropriate), and completing visual checks for bugs during and after outdoor activities
- Reduce standing water around your property to limit mosquitoes from breeding
Surveillance conducted by LPH helps monitor the region for the presence of both Lyme disease and West Nile Virus. Through this surveillance, LPH has identified Pinery Provincial Park and a 20km surrounding area, including Port Franks, as a high-risk area for Lyme disease due to a large black-legged (deer) tick population.
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is spread by the bite of an infected black-legged (deer) tick, a tiny, slow-moving bug about the size of a sesame seed. Ticks live in wooded areas and fields and attach themselves to a person or animal that brushes against plants, bushes, or tall grass.
For additional information and resources on how to submit a tick for identification, signs and symptoms of Lyme disease, and what you should do if you think you have been bit by a tick, visit LambtonPublicHealth.ca.
West Nile Virus
West Nile Virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn and can commonly be found around stagnant or standing water and bushes or shrubbery. For additional information, signs and symptoms of West Nile virus, and what to do if you think you have it, visit Ontario.ca.
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Please contact:
LPH-media-inquiries@county-lambton.on.ca