Communicable Disease Prevention and Control

Insect and Animal-Related Diseases

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by a Blacklegged tick, which can only be transmitted after it has been attached to the skin (feeding on blood) for at least 24 hours. Lyme disease is preventable by avoiding Blacklegged tick bites, and treatable with antibiotics.

There are five established populations of Blacklegged ticks in Nova Scotia:

• Pictou County (Added August 2010) areas around Melmerby Beach, Egerton, Kings Head, and Pine Tree;
• Lunenburg County (Blue Rocks, Garden Lots, Heckmans Island, First Peninsula as well as the areas immediately surrounding them;
• Halifax County: Admirals Cove in Bedford; and
• Shelburne County: Gunning Cove
• Yarmouth County: Gavelton area

There is potential for ticks to be spread across the province by migrating birds. Also, climate change may allow for the blacklegged tick population in Nova Scotia to grow. As ticks become a part of our natural environment, Nova Scotians and visitors need to be aware of the potential for tick bites.

The bacteria that can cause Lyme disease has been found in all four areas.

To date, since 2002, there have been 67 cases of Lyme disease reported in Nova Scotia . Of these, 48 acquired the infection in the province, 9 acquired the infection outside of Nova Scotia and 10 were unknown.

Nova Scotia Health and Wellness recommends protecting yourself and your family from Lyme disease by following the advice outlined in our brochure.

We hope you find the following information – and photos – helpful:

• Lyme Disease / Tick Brochure
  Maladie de Lyme : Protégez-vous contre les piqûres de tiques
• Poster: Protect Yourself from Tick Bites
  Maladie de Lyme (affiche)
• Photos

For additional information on Lyme disease, check out the following links:

• Public Health Agency of Canada
  http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/lyme-eng.php
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( USA )
  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Lyme/

In addition to the information provided in our brochure , for more information on reducing the number of ticks around your home through landscaping techniques, these pages on Landscape Management have been reproduced with permission from the Tick Management Handbook: An integrated guide for homeowners, pest control operators, and public health officials for the prevention of tick-associated disease (revised edition, Fall 2007) by Kirby C. Stafford III, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Please note that this is an American document and not all of the information is applicable to Nova Scotia.

Another disease carried by Blacklegged ticks is Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA) which has been found infrequently in Blacklegged ticks in NS. However, to date no human infections have been reported in this province. For more information on HGA please see the following link:
www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/anaplasmosis/index.html