That’s according to Kateryn Rochon, an entomologist and associate professor at the University of Manitoba, who says the province’s farm population is a high-risk group.

“By virtue of your job, you are exposed to tick bites,” Rochon said of farmers. “Don’t stop going outside, just work wisely.”

Rising risks

For the past few years, reported cases of Lyme diseases have increased in Manitoba — 70 last year, up from 64 in 2016, according to provincial figures.

The illness, transmitted by the black-legged tick (or deer tick), commonly causes flu-like symptoms at first. If not properly treated, it can linger for months or even years and cause chronic arthritis or neurological effects, according to the USDA.

The rise in reported cases of Lyme disease has a few causes, said Rochon.

“There’s definitely more awareness, especially in the medical community,” Rochon said, explaining that in the past doctors were likely to shrug off aches and chills as a flu bug, but now they’re more likely to test for Lyme.

While each year the overall percentage of Lyme-infected ticks has stayed at about 20-25 per cent, that percentage represents a larger body of bugs. Rochon said they’ve found black-legged ticks in locations where they’ve never been found before.

“Behave as if there are black-legged ticks everywhere,” Rochon said.

She added that wood ticks (American dog ticks) rarely carry diseases. She has found a few lone star ticks, known for causing inexplicable red meat allergies, but these are “super rare” in Manitoba.

Tick safety

Ticks prefer moist, shaded environments; especially leafy wooded areas and overgrown grassy habitats, according to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation.

“The goal is to keep the tick from reaching your skin,” Rochon said.

• Read more: Tips for avoiding ticks

She suggests wearing long pants and tucking pant legs into socks so ticks can’t get underneath. Shirts should be tucked in for the same reason. Rubber boots are hard for ticks to climb and can hide the dorky sock-over-pants look, she said.

Additionally, Rochon recommended using repellent with DEET or icaridin (sometimes spelled ‘picaridin’) as active ingredients. Icaridin has fewer restrictions and less odour than DEET.

Repellent can be applied all over or, at minimum, from knee to ankle, at the wrists and neckline.

Rochon said it’s also important to do a full-body check for ticks at the end of the day. Ticks like warm, humid areas, such as the armpits, behind the knees, the pelvic region, and the crown of the head where a baseball cap usually sits.

When a tick is found, remove it, said Rochon.

She said she’s heard of people using gasoline or matches to remove a tick.

“Definitely don’t use gas and the match together,” she said.

Burning or squeezing may cause a tick to send a rush of potentially pathogen-carrying saliva into the bite.

If possible, she said, use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and slowly pull it free.

However, black-legged ticks can range from the size of a poppy seed to a sesame seed. Bites might be hard to spot.

• Read more: Take precautions to minimize risks of tick exposure

About 60 per cent of people infected with Lyme disease get a “bull’s eye” rash, at the site of the tick bite within three days to one month, the USDA’s website said. Others might only notice flu symptoms.

Rochon suggests that if someone finds a black-legged tick on themselves, or a tick they can’t identify, they should put it in a plastic bag or container, label it with the date, and keep it in the freezer.

If they start feeling sick, they can take the tick to the doctor and ask to be tested for Lyme.

If someone has Lyme-like symptoms, but can’t recall a tick bite, Rochon suggests telling the doctor that their job frequently exposes them to ticks.

In animals

Lyme disease can infect dogs, horses, cattle, and occasionally cats. Dogs can be vaccinated, but the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation says this vaccine is relatively new.

The foundation also says about 50 per cent of horses will be infected with Lyme disease in their lifetime. Central Veterinary Services’s website said it can be treated with antibiotics, usually Doxycycline administered as a powder added to feed.

A Lyme vaccine for dogs has been used in horses, but Central Veterinary Services says this is still being tested and proven.

“Using this vaccine is off-label which means that it is not designed specifically to work in horses, and any adverse reactions will not be covered by the vaccine company,” its website says.

The website suggests using fly repellents containing permethrins, and grooming horses daily to check for ticks.

For cattle, there is no set pattern of symptoms, diagnosis or treatment of Lyme disease in cattle, according to the USDA. Clinical signs of Lyme are very similar to other diseases common to cattle.

The post Farmers at high risk for tick exposure appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The bloodsucking pests are starting to emerge now that the snow is gone and the province is ramping up its annual public education efforts.

The blacklegged tick has once again captured most attention, overshadowing the American dog tick that most rural Manitobans have long accepted as a warm-weather inconvenience. But while both species are out in force, the blacklegged, or deer, tick has become infamous for transmitting Lyme disease (which counts muscle aches, joint, heart and neurological problems and fatigue among its many symptoms), babesiosis (also causing flu-like symptoms and ramping up to anorexia, joint pain and a possible hospital visit), and anaplamosis (which ranges from flu-like symptoms up to 30 days to respiratory and neurological problems, kidney failure and death).

Prevention is once again the province’s top advice, with Man­itoba Health Seniors and Active Living pushing tips like using set trails and staying in the centre of hiking paths to avoid contact with vegetation.

That may be a hard sell to farmers, whose very job includes hours outside walking through fields and pastures where the pests are likely to crawl.

But while Rusk admits that farming, by its nature, puts workers at risk, he dismisses the idea that farmers cannot avoid the bite.

“They’re out there and they’re checking their fenceline and they have to walk through that long grass, so if they’ve done some pre-prevention, like they’ve tucked their pants in, they’ve sprayed DEET all over their legs, that sort of stuff, that’s excellent and that required an extra five minutes before they went out,” Rusk said. “Therefore, even more so for our outdoor farming population, our workers like the hydro workers and people who have to go and work outside in the bush, the second component is really, really important. And that is every night, you get in the tub or you get in the shower and you make sure you check yourself.”

The province’s tick campaign encourages people to use a tick-specific repellent, such as those containing DEET, wearing light-coloured clothes to better see ticks before they attach, wearing long shirts and pants and tucking them into socks and laundering clothes immediately and turning up the heat in the dryer after wandering through a blacklegged tick risk area.

Rusk argued that is a small price to pay for minimizing risk, given the potential impact of infection.

“If you get really sick with this or even if you do get bitten and you catch it nice and early, you have to leave the farm and get into town,” he said. “Hopefully you can get an appointment with your doctor so that they can get you treatment early.”

The province stresses early treatment for tick-borne illnesses, since they can be easier to beat back with antibiotics, while untreated cases of Lyme disease can stretch symptoms for months or years and spread to joints, the heart or the nervous system. Late cases are more likely to have symptoms persist even after treatment.

Temporary reprieve

Dr. Kateryn Rochon of the University of Manitoba says it’s difficult to know if this will be a “bad” tick year so early in the season.

A cold spring has put a damper on tick activity so far, she said, although they are out.

The entomologist expects things to change quickly as the weather warms. Ticks will become more active after nightly temperatures rise above 5°, she said.

“They need warmth to be able to move around efficiently,” she said. “They’re cold blooded and so they go with the temperature. That’s why in a sunny spot, they’re going to be much more active right now because it’ll be warmer with direct sunlight.”

Last year marked yet another expansion for the blacklegged tick. The province noted new risk areas near Russell, Dauphin, Minnedosa, Carberry and other regions in western Manitoba. The ticks have been creeping steadily north and west in recent years.

There were 56 cases of Lyme disease last year, down from 64 the year before but higher than any year prior to 2016. Anaplasmosis, likewise, dropped to nine cases from 16 and no cases of babesiosis have been reported since the sole case cropped up in 2016. Last year, however, marked the first cases of bovine anaplasmosis since 2013.

There is no risk to human health from the bovine form of the disease, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warns that an infected animal can become a carrier for the herd and that, while the illness can be treated with antibiotics to improve body condition for slaughter, there is no long-term treatment.

Rochon estimates that one in four blacklegged ticks is infected with one or more of those three illnesses, although regional risk can vary each year depending on how many smaller hosts, like mice or voles, are infected, bitten, and then pass the pathogen down.

“Pretty much all of southern Manitoba is a risk area,” she said.

Blacklegged ticks are doubly dangerous since both nymphs and adults have a taste for humans, she added.

The province has warned the public to mark the date of a tick bite and watch out for flu-like symptoms in the weeks following.

In practice, the reality might be much more difficult, Rochon said, since blacklegged tick nymphs are notoriously hard to spot.

“Blacklegged ticks tend to be active a little bit earlier than the American dog ticks in the spring and then, in the summer, so in June, the nymphs are active and the nymphs are very small,” she said. “They’re the size of a poppy seed. And if they are infected, they can also transmit pathogens.”

The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation notes that many who contract the disease don’t remember the bite, likely because it was from a nymph and went unnoticed.

Additionally, not all Lyme disease cases come with the famous bull’s-eye rash and few anaplasmosis or babesiosis will either, usually as a sign of a co-infection with Lyme disease.

General vigilance might be a better policy, Rochon said. The entomologist advised people to be suspicious of any flu-like symptoms during the summer.

Rusk agreed. Summer is outside regular flu season, he said, and the public should get checked if they develop a fever, aches, or other symptoms.

At the same time, Rusk still noted merit with the province’s suggestion that people should mark any bites they get on a calendar. The practice both reminds people to be on guard against symptoms after a bite, but might get a producer to change habits if they see they are continually getting bitten despite their efforts, he said.

Tick surveillance

This year will be the second for the province’s tick checker program. The program allows the public to submit pictures for identification and suspicious ticks for testing.

About 500 ticks were submitted last year, something that Rusk says has been a boon to surveillance efforts.

Rusk added that farmers may volunteer their land for provincial tick surveys.

“The blacklegged ticks aren’t going away and they’re not displacing the American dog ticks,” Rochon said. “In many instances they do share some of the environment. In some places in Man­itoba you’ll find both species in the same place.”

Information on the tick checker is available on the Manitoba Health Seniors and Active Living website.

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Lyme disease, the illness most associated with the blacklegged tick and a growing villain in the minds of Manitobans, once again tops the province’s tick-related health concerns.

Last year saw the highest rate of Lyme disease since statistics were first collected in 2009. There were 62 potential cases in Manitoba in 2016, up from 39 in 2015 and 48 in 2014.

The infection, often typified by a bull’s-eye-shaped rash (although not present in all cases), first causes headache, fever, aches and pains, stiff neck, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue before manifesting more serious symptoms. Left untreated, the disease has been known to cause joint, heart and nervous system problems and, even after successful treatment, symptoms can persist for years.

Dr. Michael Routledge, medical officer of health with the Southern Health Region, says the disease is commonly contracted early in the tick season, as ticks are less likely to be removed during the 24-hour grace period before disease transmission.

• Read more: Tips for avoiding ticks

“We tend to see more cases this time of year because, No. 1, the ticks are out, but also they’re quite small at this time of year but they’re at a stage where they can transmit,” he said.

Less than one-third of Lyme patients recall being bitten by a tick, the province has said, while blacklegged ticks may be active as soon a temperatures rise consistently above 4 C.

The Pembina Valley, Red River Valley corridor and southeast Manitoba, all areas with known blacklegged tick populations, lie within the Southern Health Region. Nineteen cases of Lyme disease were reported in the Southern Health Region last year, up from 14 in 2015.

Routledge identified both growing tick populations and growing awareness of Lyme disease as reasons for the increase. He noted however, that the condition is still comparatively rare.

While Manitobans have long been used to dog ticks, which are not known to carry Lyme disease, the blacklegged tick is a relatively recent interloper. The province has seen a westward spread of the pest in recent decades. In 2011, the province first confirmed populations in the Pembina Valley Region, now a hot spot for the pest. At the time, over one-third of tested ticks in the region were positive for Lyme-causing bacteria.

Blacklegged tick risk zones now run through south-central Manitoba, as far north as the Interlake and as far west as Brandon.

Dr. Amy Frykoda, officer of medical health for the Prairie Mountain Health Region, says four cases of Lyme disease were reported last year, up from two in both 2015 and 2014.

“The general message is that we are seeing a steady increase in case numbers of the blacklegged tick risk areas than we’ve seen in the past,” she said.

There was an average 1.2 Lyme disease cases per year in the Prairie Mountain Health Region from 2011 to 2015.

“It is possible to find blacklegged ticks in areas outside the known blacklegged tick risk areas of Manitoba because ticks can attach to migrating birds and be carried over large distances,” Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living has said. “However, the disease risk is relatively low because the chance of encountering infected blacklegged ticks is less likely outside of these risk areas.”

Interestingly, Routledge has said, many Lyme cases seem to stem from those living in urban centres rather than farms. Little comprehensive data has been collected on patient career, but Southern Health has not seen any ties between Lyme disease and agriculture, which takes place mostly outdoors, he said.

“Anybody who’s spending lots of time outdoors is at risk, but it’s not surprising in the sense that where we tend to see these populations is more away from what I would call agricultural areas. It tends to be more in a wooded area,” he said.

He acknowledged that some aspects of agriculture would put producers in contact with Lyme disease risk zones.

Frykoda says cases to the west have been largely balanced between rural and urban populations. She noted that some producers may live in towns, but contract the disease on rural farms.

“The other thing that could be happening when you’re finding this information surprising, but it may not be surprising, is just that there are higher population numbers in an urban centre,” she said.

Two other tick-borne diseases, anaplasmosis and babesiosis, have also warranted public alerts this year. A record 17 potential cases of anaplasmosis and the province’s first potential case of babesiosis were reported last year. Anaplasmosis, which causes fever and flu-like symptoms, generally appears between five and 21 days after an infected tick bite and generally resolves itself within 30 days. For the elderly or those with compromised immune systems, however, the risks are higher. Severe cases of anaplasmosis have caused respiratory and neurological problems, infection, kidney failure or even death.

Babesiosis, typically manifesting one to six weeks after the bite, proves a particular challenge as most cases will develop no symptoms. For those who do, fatigue is a common first indicator, followed by any of the following: chills and sweating, severe appetite loss, anemia, headaches and weakness, joint pain, nausea or a persistent, unproductive cough. Like anaplasmosis, babesiosis may require hospitalization, while fatigue, weakness and anemia may persist for months after treatment.

An online tick checker tool has been introduced this year in an effort to better track the blacklegged tick population. The public is asked to submit pictures and information at http://forms.gov.mb.ca/tickSubmission/. Information will be used to direct tick-scouting efforts.

“Certainly, over the last number of years we’ve often had people asking about how they can submit a tick for assessment,” Routledge said. “This is just another sort of tool that we developed and Manitoba Health has developed in order to be able to facilitate that.”

There have been no cases of anaplasmosis in the Prairie Mountain Health Authority, although Frykoda says that may change as tick populations continue to spread.

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• Perform daily tick checks, particularly after spending time in areas with known blacklegged tick populations.
• Remain on paths and away from long grass.
• Wear appropriate tick repellant.
• Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and closed-toe shoes.
• Tuck pants into socks.
• Wear light colours to more easily detect ticks.
• Check clothing and other items for ticks.
• Bathe soon after coming indoors to easily check for ticks.
• Check pets for ticks.

Landscaping advice for preventing tick bites

• Install a mulch, rock or gravel border between a yard and any surrounding woods.
• Limit habitat for tick carriers such as mice.
• Keep woodpiles and other tick habitat away from the house.
• Mow lawn and prune trees and shrubs frequently.
• Keep playsets away from bushes or woods.
• Avoid ground-hugging plants in often-used areas.

The post Tips for avoiding ticks appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

It’s field season for the University of Manitoba entomologist, who has embarked on a joint mission with the Manitoba Beekeepers Association to better understand tick-borne diseases. That means getting up at the crack of dawn to check traps set the night before, making sure animals aren’t held in the aluminum cages longer than 12 hours.

“But I have excellent students with me,” said the researcher. “I am always amazed that I have people wanting to work with me, because I explain to them everything they will have to do, the crazy schedule they will have and all the overtime and the horrible conditions in which they will work — and they are like — sign me up!”

The hope is that small mammals the traps net will reveal more about how Lyme disease is spread to humans via Ixodes scapularis, better known as the blacklegged or deer tick.

“One of the problems we’re finding is that blacklegged ticks are, relatively speaking, fairly new to Manitoba,” Rochon said. “We’ve had blacklegged ticks for a long time in the northeastern U.S., and at Long Point in Ontario, sort of the first established location here, but those two locations are very similar, the Prairies are not similar at all.”

How Manitoba’s climate, weather and ecology affects the life cycle of these arthropods remains unknown, said the researcher. When blacklegged ticks are active, and when they interact with the birds and mammals that act as disease reservoirs is crucial to learning more about how the arthropods transmit disease.

“So now, we are looking at when are the immature ticks active, when are the adult ticks active, so we can figure out if we have a three-year or a four-year cycle, and then depending on when each stage is active — the larva, the nymph and the adult — each of these different scenarios will have an impact on disease transmission,” she said.

What is known is that the range of Ixodes scapularis is expanding both northward and westward, increasing the likelihood humans will come into contact with them. And while blacklegged ticks prefer wooded areas with shade and moisture, such as riparian areas, they have also been routinely found in large urban centres like Winnipeg and Toronto.

“We are finding them in places where we would never expect them to be, so we’re trying to figure out exactly where are they and whether the Prairies will stop them? Or will they find a way to exist in these new or different environments,” she said.

While blacklegged ticks can also transmit anaplasmosis and babesiosis to humans, Lyme disease has been the central focus for Manitoba beekeepers who helped fund Rochon’s research, enabling her to get matching government funding.

“We’ve had a number of our association members that have been impacted by Lyme disease that they believe have been distributed by these ticks,” said Allan Campbell, president of the Manitoba Beekeepers association. “And in Canada it is very hard to get a diagnosis for Lyme disease.”

He believes that may be due in part to the fact that information on the disease and how it spreads is still relatively scant. But with beekeepers working on the front lines of tick habitat, the apiarist said the ultimate goal is to arm health-care professionals and researchers with better knowledge.

“We want people to know what to look for, and we want to know that it can be properly diagnosed and treated,” said Campbell.

In recent years more attention has been drawn to Lyme disease. May is Lyme disease awareness month and a bipartisan panel has been convened by the federal government to examine the issue.

The number of diagnosed and reported cases of Lyme disease has also been increasing in Manitoba. There were 11 cases in 2009, 38 cases in 2013, 46 in 2014 and 36 last year. The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation has suggested that as many as 10,000 Canadians have the disease.

But despite growing awareness of the disease, Rochon said funding for research on blacklegged ticks is still very hard to come by.

“A longer study is very needed,” she said, adding her current two-year-long project wraps up this winter.

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Blacklegged ticks, which can carry anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Lyme disease, are most commonly found within and along the edge of forests and in areas with thick, woody shrubs and other vegetation. Blacklegged ticks are found more often from early spring through late fall. The smaller nymphs are difficult to see and are most abundant during late spring and summer.

The province is monitoring and assessing the continuing range expansion of blacklegged ticks and has identified blacklegged tick risk areas, where the risk of tick-borne disease transmission is greatest.

Blacklegged ticks found within these risk areas are more likely to carry the agents that cause anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Lyme disease. While blacklegged ticks can be found outside of these risk areas, the risk of tick-borne disease transmission is lower.

Limiting exposure to potentially infected blacklegged ticks is the key to tick-borne disease prevention. Manitobans are encouraged to take precautions to minimize their risk of tick exposure by:

• Applying an appropriate tick repellent, following label directions, on exposed skin and clothing;
• Inspecting themselves, children and pets after spending time outdoors;
• Removing ticks as soon as possible from people and pets;
• Staying to the centre of walking trails;
• Wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts; and
• Keeping grass and shrubs around homes cut short to create drier environments that are less suitable for blacklegged tick survival.

Symptoms of anaplasmosis can start five to 21 days after a tick bite and may include fever, chills, headache, joint aches, nausea and vomiting, often in association with blood abnormalities and/or liver abnormalities. Anaplasmosis can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

Symptoms of babesiosis can start one to six weeks after a tick bite and may include non-specific flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea or fatigue. Babesiosis can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

Symptoms of Lyme disease can start about three days to one month after a tick bite, often with an expanding rash which then fades. Early symptoms can also include headache, stiff neck, muscle aches or fatigue, fever, chills and swollen lymph nodes. Lyme disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics and treatment is most successful in the early stages of infection.

People who think they may have anaplasmosis, babesiosis or Lyme disease should see their doctor. For more information, they may also contact Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or (toll free) 1-888-315-9257.

For more information about tick-borne diseases, including a map showing the blacklegged tick risk areas and additional information about prevention, go to: www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/cdc/tickborne/index.html.

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“They’re moving north for sure,” said entomologist Kateryn Rochon, noting the arthropods travel with their hosts, including deer, birds, rabbits and other animals.

The University of Manitoba professor is tracking the movement of the American dog tick in the province, as part of a three-year research project with the backing of the Beef Cattle Research Council.

“We’re looking at variations in abundance in two species of tick — two very closely related species — one is the Rocky Mountain wood tick, which they have in Alberta and the western part of Saskatchewan, and then the wood tick that we have here. The proper name is the American dog tick, but everybody here calls them wood ticks,” she said.

Both have the ability to transmit bovine anaplasmosis.

“It’s a bacterial disease… it invades blood cells and it destroys blood cells,” said Reynold Bergen of the research council. “It can cause anemia, jaundice, fever, reduced milk production, abortion and in severe cases, it can kill animals.”

The last time tick populations were comprehensively mapped in Manitoba was nearly half a century ago, Rochon said, adding that new surveys show that ticks have since expanded their territory northward.

“Last year, in 2013, pretty much everywhere we went we found a fairly large amount of ticks,” said the researcher. “We’re finding them in areas north of the traditional distribution line… so we’re trying to figure out how these populations change between years and is there something that we can actually model — is there something here we can predict?”

For many years, the transmission of anaplasmosis — generally considered a rare occurrence in Canada — was monitored by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). But on April 1 this year, it lost its status as a reportable disease.

Bergen said the change to reporting requirements comes as the CFIA shifts its mandate towards diseases that impact trade or human health.

“If there is a positive test, labs still need to report it, but now it is just record-keeping. It’s not an active surveillance, and there’s not a response,” he said.

Anaplasmosis is not a threat to human health, and because it already occurs in American herds, a Canadian outbreak wouldn’t impact trade relations, Bergen said.

“It has never gained a foothold here, it’s never become established,” he said, but he added that it still benefits producers to better understand the disease and the ticks that spread it.

“The CFIA and the federal government are sort of getting out of this, but there is a value to industry to have a better baseline for what kind of ticks we see, and where,” he said.

• From the Canadian Cattlemen: CFIA to give up on wiping out anaplasmosis

While complicated, Rochon believes the main factor in the northward tick trajectory is climate change, which opens up new, more northern territory for tick hosts.

Thus far, her work has taken her north of Manigotagan, past the Duck Mountains and to Steep Rock Junction — all of which are now home to wood ticks.

“I talk to producers when I’m out on their land to get ticks, and they would say, you know I never saw ticks when I was growing up — I’ve been here all my life and never saw ticks, and now they’re everywhere,” Rochon said.

In addition to examining the impacts of climate and weather on anaplasmosis-carrying ticks, the study also aims to examine genetic relationships between arthropod populations.

“Are the ticks from around Dauphin related to ticks in the Sandilands, or are they actually different populations that don’t mingle?” asked Rochon.

Few options exist for protecting cattle from ticks, although some insecticides designed for flying insects can offer some protection.

“It’s tricky, because in areas where there are a lot of ticks, there’s not much you can do, especially in pastures — you can’t mow and remove their food.”

However, wet areas tend to have fewer ticks, while transition areas between forest and pasture tend to have the most. If possible, avoid pastures with high tick populations during mid-June when populations peak, said Rochon.

“But I realize that not everybody has the luxury of moving their animals to a pasture that is less “ticky,” but if you can, that would probably be your best bet,” she said. Practices such as mowing the grass on trails used to move animals — especially if they are tree lined — also assist in lessening tick exposure.

While not part of the cattle study, the entomologist noted that black-legged ticks, the species that carries Lyme disease, are also expanding their range northward, although not as quickly as the wood tick.

“Pretty much, you’re at risk getting a bite from a black-legged tick almost anywhere in Manitoba… I mean the chances are really low in some areas, but it is possible,” she said.

If a tick does latch on to you, stay calm and remove it with tweezers.

“You don’t burn it, you don’t put vaseline on it, you don’t use kerosene, and you definitely don’t use kerosene and fire,” Rochon said. “The best way is to use thin tweezers, you want to use the thin ones more than the flat thick ones, because the goal is to not press on the body… lift the tick perpendicular to skin, pull up slowly, but steady and eventually it will just pop off.”

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Please forward letters to Manitoba Co-operator, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, R3H 0H1 or Fax: 204-954-1422 or email: news@fbcpublishing.com (subject: To the editor)

Trees disappearing on the Prairies

The site of a well-sheltered farmyard is commonplace across the Prairies. However, many of the farm, wildlife and conservation plantings are getting old and will soon need replacing or upgrading.

Unfortunately the federal government feels trees are no longer needed by Prairie people. Next spring the last seedlings for the shelterbelts and other conservation plantings will be distributed by the Agroforestry Centre at Indian Head. The centre will shut down its tree production operation by December 2012 after 110 years of service to Western Canada.

The Agroforestry Centre will be sold as the federal government wishes to save money and “reduce its footprint” in Western Canada and wants landowners to pay for tree seedlings.

The bureaucrats in Ottawa seem to forget that the 8,000 landowners who plant trees each year are partners, who pay the shipping, planting and maintenance costs. The tree planters do not see the benefits of their work for five years or more and are not planting just for themselves but for future generations.

Within 50 to 60 years many parts of the Prairies will have few trees left as the existing trees die of old age and are not replanted. It’s a sad thought that our children and grandchildren will live to see the Prairies as they were 100 years ago — flat — all because of a decision made without thought or consultation by bureaucrats in Ottawa.

Gord Howe

Prairie Tree Planters

Indian Head, Sask.

Supports Brazilian royalty challenge

How refreshing it is to see that somewhere in the world, there are farmers willing to say to Monsanto and others like them, “Get your hands off my throat” (“Monsanto defends Roundup Ready royalties in Brazil,” June 21). As one who has refused to sign technical use agreements of any kind, and have found that as a consequence I must either grow canola that must use 25-year-old technology or not grow canola at all, I was delighted to see that farmers in Brazil are challenging Monsanto over saving seed.

I have wondered as year after year the big three companies have increased the cost of sowing canola whether there is a point at which Canadian farmers would say “enough.” But even though it can now cost over $50 an acre for seed, a sum that not long ago would have bought the land, let alone the seed, farmers continue to pay up and shut up and pay over $500 a bushel for seed canola.

Someone, somewhere is going to put a stop to this piracy. If the Brazilians have the intestinal fortitude to do it, more power to them.

John Beckham

Winnipeg

Looking for Lyme disease cases

It has come to my attention that Lyme disease is a prevalent issue in this province. Over the past legislative session, numerous cases have come to my attention in which testing and treatment plans have proven to be insufficient, leaving patients to suffer. Many patients have been forced to travel outside the province to be properly diagnosed, and with that diagnosis, can be treated. Without early treatment, this disease can mask as other devastating health conditions, and ruin a lifestyle.

While I have the utmost confidence in the doctors of this province, I am aware that the infrastructure that this government has to deal with this disease is lacking. The state of Minnesota can diagnose over 1,000 cases a year, while this province can only diagnose 25. We are all aware that deer ticks do not stop at the border and check in, so legitimate questions arise when we see cases in this province that are improperly diagnosed.

My office has received dozens of cases where treatment and diagnosis plans have failed. Cases like Mason French of Dominion City, whose mother had to take him to four doctors to receive a proper diagnosis, or Marie Hughes, who after years of fighting the bureaucracy still does not have a proper diagnosis, or Michelle Miller, who has to go on $2,000 IV treatment to curb the symptoms, provide a snapshot into this disease, and the effects it can have on someone. I want to encourage all those affected to contact my office with their story, as I feel that this government needs to hear the importance of this issue, and needs to properly act on it. My office at the Manitoba legislature can be reached at (204) 945-5639, and my constituency office is (204) 324-9901, and I would be happy to talk with you.

Cliff Graydon

MLA for Emerson

The post Letters , June 28, 2012 appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The University of Manitoba professor said ticks are normally active this time of year, and generally become active as soon as the snow melts and temperature rises.

And although the unusually warm spring hasn’t done much to change tick behaviour or increase their numbers, it has inspired changes in human behaviour, which have brought the two species into greater contact.

“It appears the ticks have come out earlier, but in reality it’s just about the same,” she said. “Ticks are normally out this time of year, but usually people are not.”

The professor noted the 2011 flood also kept many farmers and hikers away from tall grass and areas of landscape transition favoured by ticks.

“People have a tendency to forget as well, especially when things are bad, like with the flood, so ticks weren’t really on people’s minds last year,” Rochon said.

But dry conditions this spring have Manitobans thinking about ticks again, especially after a warm spell in February caused some ticks to become active.

Those ticks however, retreated back into leaf and grass litter as soon as temperatures dropped, Rochon said.

Staying indoors is the only surefire way to avoid ticks, but the entomologist doesn’t advocate that approach.

“There are ways to avoid tick bites,” she said.

Geek in vogue

Tucking shirts into pants, and pants into socks — the geeky look — is a good way to keep ticks on top of your clothing where they can easily be seen and removed.

“Ticks aren’t jumping off oak trees and landing on people’s heads,” said Rochon. “If you find them on the top of your head it’s because they climbed all the way up there.”

She also suggests wearing light-coloured clothes so ticks can be easily spotted before reaching the upper body.

Livestock may have more trouble avoiding ticks, but keeping cattle out of tall grass and away from the edges of scrub brush between April and the end of June will lessen the chance they will pick them up.

“You do get ticks on cattle, but it is more of a nuisance,” said the professor. “Very rarely will you have problems related to the ticks.”

She added ticks may be more of an issue with horses, which are often placed in lower-quality pasture land where ticks are more prevalent.

Although wood ticks are still the most common species of tick found in Manitoba, deer ticks — also know as black-legged ticks — are present as well.

“Deer ticks are relatively new to Manitoba,” said Rochon. “They are smaller than wood ticks and they are the ticks that can carry Lyme disease.”

Lyme disease has been a reportable disease in Manitoba since 1999 and in 2009 the province adopted national case definitions for reporting to ensure consistency in tracking the disease.

Last year there were seven confirmed and four probable cases in Manitoba.

Part of Rochon’s research will focus on how deer ticks disperse once they move into a new geographic area.

“It’s an exciting moment for someone who works on ticks in Manitoba,” she said. “We’re at the very special moment when the ticks are coming in and dispersing, and it’s the one opportunity we have to figure out how this happens, because once it’s done, that’s it, the moment is gone.”

Rochon, who joined the university’s entomology department in January, said Manitoba’s landscape and harsh winters mean information gathered elsewhere about tick dispersal isn’t applicable locally.

The post Warm weather drawing out more humans than ticks appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The southeast corner of Manitoba and an area around the Stanley Trail in south-central Manitoba now have established blacklegged tick populations. Surveillance findings suggest they now occupy an area that may stretch from the trailhead at roads 27W and 2N in the south to Deerwood in the north, including Stanley Park.

Ticks have also been identified in the Pembina Valley Provincial Park at Road 22N (north of La Riviere).

TESTED POSITIVE

Studies show over one-third of the blacklegged ticks tested from the Stanley Trail area carried the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, a Manitoba Health news release stated. There have been two reported Lyme disease cases in humans with tick exposure near the Stanley Trail.

The tick population may have also become established at Beaudry Provincial Park, just west of Headingley.

Blacklegged ticks have been submitted from many locations in southern Manitoba and occasionally from more northern areas to officials running the Blacklegged Tick and Lyme Disease Surveillance Program. They receive anywhere from 150 to 300 blacklegged ticks per year.

Just because a tick carrying the bacteria is found in an area doesn’t mean there is an established or permanent population, as the tick may have just dropped off a migrating bird, said Terry Galloway, professor of entomology with the University of Manitoba’s faculty of agricultural and food sciences. Officials first conduct a field study to determine if ticks in all stages of development (larva, nymph and adult) are present.

“Once we have evidence of all of the stages in one location, we can confirm it’s established at that site,” said Galloway.

PRECAUTIONS ADVISED

Being bitten by an infected tick is not cause for immediate alarm. A tick must be attached for 24 hours or more before the bacteria is transmitted. Officials are advising Manitobans to take extra precautions and to learn the difference between blacklegged deer ticks (which are smaller in size) and common dog ticks, also known as wood ticks, which do not transmit Lyme disease.

Symptoms often, but not always, begin three days to one month after a tick bite with an expanding rash which then fades. Early symptoms can also include headache, a stiff neck, fever, muscle aches or fatigue.

To date, no cases of Lyme disease have been reported in 2011. However in 2010, there were six confirmed cases and six probable cases. Four additional reports not meeting the national surveillance case definition were also received.

lorraine@fbcpublishing.com

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“Oncewehaveevidenceofallofthe stagesinonelocation,wecanconfirm it’sestablishedatthatsite.”

– terry galloway, professor of entomology at university of manitoba’s faculty of agricultural and food sciences

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More information on Lyme disease is available at the Manitoba Health website at www.gov.mb.ca/health/lyme or by contacting Health Links-Info Santé at 788-8200 (in Winnipeg) or at 1-888-315-9257 (tollfree).

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