Health unit identifies region's first-ever tick with Anaplasma bacteria

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) is urging residents to protect themselves from ticks after a tick was identified with Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria for the first time in the region. 

The bacteria causes a sickness called anaplasmosis, which is usually spread by the black-legged tick, said the MLHU. Symptoms typically begin within one to two weeks after being bitten by an infected tick. Symptoms include fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and a loss of appetite. 

People 65 years of age and older and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of severe illness. 

Anaplasmosis can be treated with antibiotics. 

The health unit is recommending the following ways to protect yourself from ticks carrying bacteria: 

• Wear light-coloured clothes to make it easier to spot ticks.
• Wear long pants and long sleeves, closed-toe shoes, and tuck your pants into your socks when walking in grassy or wooded areas.
• Apply insect repellent containing DEET or Icaridin to clothing and exposed skin.
• Check yourself, family members, pets, and outdoor gear after leaving an area where ticks may live.
• Shower or bathe as soon as possible after returning home.

Blacklegged ticks are also known to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and the parasite that causes babesiosis. Both have been found this year in local ticks.

Anyone who was been bitten by a tick can visit the MLHU website for information on how to remove it safely and what steps to take next. To identify a tick, photos can be submitted to etick.ca.