SUDBURY, Ont. – The Sudbury and District Health Unit says a blacklegged tick from the area has tested positive for the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease.
The tick was found embedded in the skin of a person who had direct contact with migratory birds.
Blacklegged ticks are not common in the Sudbury area, but it’s believed they can travel on birds.
Symptoms of Lyme disease include a general rash, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, joint pain, headache and swollen glands.
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Left untreated, it can affect the heart and in rare cases lead to death.
The only confirmed human case of Lyme disease in the Sudbury area was reported back in 2008.
In Ontario, blacklegged ticks are found more commonly in rural areas along the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River.
There were 162 cases of Lyme disease reported in the province last year.
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