Lyme disease endemic in two Capitale-Nationale municipalities, health officials say
Ruby Pratka
Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Editor@qctonline.com
Two municipalities in the Capitale-Nationale region have appeared on the latest list of Lyme disease-endemic municipalities released by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), the first time the endemic zone has extended into the region.
The municipalities of Deschambault-Grondines, in the Portneuf region, and Saint-Édouard-de-Lotbinière, on the South Shore, are now considered Lyme disease-endemic. Health officials caution that ticks can be carried further north by migrating animals and birds, so it’s possible to be bitten by an infected tick anywhere in the province.
Jade Savage is a medical entomologist at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke who specializes in tracking ticks. She explained that black-legged ticks first appeared in Canada in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Ticks don’t tolerate long, cold winters, but as winters have become milder, ticks have been gradually penetrating further north. “In the Eastern Townships, most people now realize ticks are part of our lives, but when you go to Quebec City and points north, people assume ticks are not there – most people have not grown up with them. Because climate change is accelerating and we’re seeing milder temperatures, mostly winter temperatures, the ticks are now able to establish in zones where they could not survive the winter just a few years ago,” she said.
Black-legged ticks only feed three times during their life cycle. For a tick to transmit Lyme disease – or any pathogen – to a human, it must first bite an infected animal, usually a deer or a rodent. When it bites a human for its subsequent meal, it can transmit disease.
Savage noted that increases in tick prevalence don’t necessarily correspond with increases in Lyme disease prevalence. According to Mariane Lajoie, a spokesperson for the Centre intégré de santé et services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, 26 cases have been reported in the region between June 2021 and June 2024, of which fewer than five are believed to have been potentially acquired in the region.
“Ticks could be in your backyard, even if you live in the surroundings of Quebec City, but don’t just get bogged down inside your house and never go inside again – there’s an equilibrium you need to reach,” Savage said.
Savage curates eTick.ca, a crowd-sourced online database where people can share tick sightings. The site also contains a list of tips to avoid tick bites; hikers, gardeners and people who work outside are advised to wear long-sleeved, light-coloured clothing, a hat, socks and closed-toed shoes and use insect repellent containing DEET or icaridin. After going inside, throw your clothes in the dryer on high heat if possible and thoroughly inspect your own body, children and pets for ticks. Key areas to check include the head and hair, ears, arms, chest, back, waist, belly button, groin, legs, behind knees and between toes. The poppy seed-sized nymphs are more active in spring and summer, whereas the sesame seed-sized adults tend to be more active in fall. If you find a tick, remove it with fine-tipped tweezers or a specialized tick-removal device available at outdoor stores and some pet supply shops.
Not all black-legged ticks carry the Lyme disease-causing bacteria, and it is highly unlikely that a tick will spread disease if it has been latched onto your body for less than 24 hours, Savage explained. If you believe you’ve been exposed to Lyme disease, talk to your pharmacist about post-exposure prophylaxis.