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In Ontario, there鈥檚 a 鈥減articularly high risk鈥� of running into the blacklegged tick, whose bite could result in Lyme disease and serious consequences if left untreated, said Sperling, who is also an entomologist and lecturer at the University of Alberta鈥檚 Department of Biological Sciences.

However, no matter the type of tick that bites, there could still be a risk of disease being transmitted and what鈥檚 most important is removing the tick as soon as possible, Sperling said.

Where are ticks found in Toronto

According to the City of Toronto, blacklegged ticks have been documented at Algonquin Island, Amberdale Ravine, Cedar Ridge Park, Colonel Danforth Trail, High Park, Highland Creek, Morningside Park, 海角社区官网Hunt Club and Rouge Valley Park.

海角社区官网has a map tracking tick locations and where they have tested positive for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, called Borrelia burgdorferi.

鈥淚t is important to know that blacklegged ticks are possible anywhere in 海角社区官网where there is a suitable habitat even if it is not documented by our tick surveillance program,鈥�

According to Ontario鈥檚 2022 the entirety of 海角社区官网is an 鈥渆stimated risk area.鈥�

On trails, ticks will mostly be on the edge of a path, where dogs might meander, Sperling warned.

She also emphasized that maps depicting risk areas for ticks can only show 鈥渨hat happened in the past鈥� and 鈥渁re not really projecting the future.鈥� People in Ontario have a risk of running into Lyme disease pretty much everywhere, she said.

鈥淛ust because (the risk is) higher or lower doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 zero,鈥� she said.

When are ticks active

Ontarians are most likely to run into ticks in the summer and in the fall, Sperling said, but it鈥檚 not impossible to get bitten in the winter.

The province says ticks can be found at any time of the year when the temperature is above freezing.

In the summer is when the 鈥渢eeny tiny鈥� ticks are out, which are the most dangerous and easy to miss, according to Sperling.

A tick bite in the summer could be easily dismissed as something as minimal as having 鈥渟cratched ourselves on a raspberry horn,鈥� Sperling cautioned.

In the fall, the risk of being bitten still exists but there tends to be more protection because people typically wear more layers of clothing, she said.

What to do about a tick bite

鈥淩emove (the tick) as soon as you see it,鈥� Sperling advised.

She suggested getting a tick removal kit in preparation of a possible bite, which is easy to carry in a backpack or car glove-compartment. A fine-point tweezer is usually a good alternative, she added.

The city of 海角社区官网recommends against trying to squeeze or burn it off. Instead, grab the tick as close to your skin as possible and pull the tick away from your skin 鈥済ently but firmly鈥� using fine-tipped tweezers. If you don鈥檛 have tweezers handy, ticks can also be removed using your fingers, you just want to avoid crushing it during the process.

If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor. Be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick.

People shouldn鈥檛 wait until they can access a doctor, Sperling said, unless they鈥檙e concerned they can鈥檛 safely remove the tick themselves.

If your dog is bitten by a tick, it might seem unhappy or like 鈥渟omething is off.鈥� Sometimes ticks can get into their ears; if it鈥檚 deep in the canal, owners should seriously consider asking a vet to remove it to ensure they don鈥檛 hurt their pet, Sperling advised. There are also little plastic scoops, made to remove ticks that can be used on dogs鈥� ears 鈥� or for children who are nervous about tweezers.

After removing the tick, Sperling suggested storing it in a plastic bag (or two, to be safe), labelling it with the date, and keeping it in the freezer.

The next step would be to take it to a health care provider to identify the tick, and sending it to an image-based identification platform like or contacting the to find out about identification programs in the area, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

In Sperling鈥檚 view, the best thing to do is get the tick tested for Lyme disease, especially if it looks 鈥渇ully fed.鈥� Just make sure that when shipping the tick, the container is secured tightly.

In early cases of the illness, 鈥渢here鈥檚 no sense testing the human because 鈥� you haven鈥檛 had time to develop the antibodies that show that you really do have Lyme disease,鈥� she said, adding she believes that tests need improvement.

If the tick tests positive for Lyme disease, the person who was bitten should ask their doctor for antibiotics, she said.

But in a place like southern Ontario, she said someone should go to the doctor simply if they have a known tick bite and are feeling sick or 鈥渙ff鈥� 鈥� and definitely if they have an expanding red rash.

There is also a risk that the tick is carrying another kind of disease, Sperling explained, so if the tick tests negative for Lyme disease, it鈥檚 important that someone with a tick bite who feels ill go back to the doctor and advocate for themselves.

How to avoid being bitten by a tick

When going for a hike and 鈥渆ntering tick habitat,鈥� it鈥檚 best to be covered in light-coloured clothing, tuck socks in or use permethrin-treated socks (treated to protect against ticks), and to use insect repellent, Sperling said.

When you get home, you should remove your clothes and leave them outside in case a tick is still walking on them. Then, take a shower, she advised.

The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends checking one’s entire body, especially the head and hair, in and around the ears, under the arms, on the chest, the waist, belly button, around the groin, on the legs, behind the knees and between the toes.

Plus, anyone who is worried they might have a tick on their back should ask a friend to look, Sperling said.

Those with dogs should check their pets for ticks, too, and brush them, Sperling said.

Ticks can transmit Lyme disease-causing bacteria

The longer a tick is attached, 鈥渢he greater the risk鈥� of disease being transmitted, Sperling said. In about 70 to 80 per cent of people who get Lyme disease, they develop a circular rash (also known as a bull鈥檚 eye rash) after being bitten.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says the blacklegged tick needs to be attached for at least 24 hours in order to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

Before the insect has fed, it is flat, top to bottom. It starts off with a black shield on the back and is red, Sperling said.

While most insects have three parts 鈥� a head, thorax and abdomen 鈥� a tick only has two 鈥� the 鈥渂ig mouth part鈥� and the rest of the body,鈥� she said.

鈥淎 tick is going to cut its mouth part into you; it has these little sort of knives on the end of the mouth part, and once it attaches, it鈥檚 going to stay for a long time,鈥� she said, adding it will stay for days if it can. A tick will likely bite a part of the body that鈥檚 easy to miss if you鈥檙e not searching.

鈥淪ometimes 鈥� it鈥檚 gonna crawl up into your hair. And sometimes it鈥檚 behind your knees, and sometimes your tummy button,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the sort of quiet, dark places where you鈥檙e not going to notice that that鈥檚 worth aiming for.鈥�

Once they have 鈥渟et,鈥� their abdomen or back part will stretch out and thicken. The more time it spends on a body, the more it feeds, and the thicker it gets. If a tick is feeding for a very long time, it will become tan-coloured, Sperling explained.

鈥淚f we鈥檙e doing a tick check, we shouldn鈥檛 ever get to the point where it gets that kind of tan-coloured abdomen,鈥� she said.

Symptoms of Lyme disease

Contrary to what some people believe, it鈥檚 not just a 鈥測uppie flu,鈥� Sperling said.

鈥淚f you get Lyme disease and you get treated right away, it鈥檚 pretty straightforward,鈥� she explained. 鈥淓arly treatment means high success.鈥�

But someone sick who doesn鈥檛 receive treatment early on could get 鈥渞eally sick鈥� and will likely face some difficulty treating the 鈥渓ong or chronic鈥� illness, she added. Of course, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a lot of variability鈥� in Lyme disease and in people, and it won鈥檛 affect everyone in the same way.

Symptoms of Lyme usually begin three days to four weeks after a bite, says 海角社区官网Public Health.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, early symptoms include an expanding rash, fever, chills, fatigue, headache, swollen lymph nodes and muscle and joint aches.

鈥淚f left untreated, the infection could spread to the joints, heart and nervous system,鈥� .

Additional symptoms may include drooping of one side of the face, difficulty closing one eye and painful swelling of large joints like knees, says 海角社区官网Public Health.

Later symptoms include more rashes, dizziness, severe headaches, migratory pain, arthritis, memory loss and inability to think clearly. There could also be nerve pain, facial paralysis, heart palpitations, abnormal heartbeat, swelling of the brain and spinal cord and eye problems, such as pink eye, the website says.

Advocacy around Lyme disease treatment

In 2018, one study estimated that approximately 90 per cent of Lyme disease cases in Canada go undetected.

A co-author of the study, University of Calgary professor Ralph Hawkins previously told the Star that patients feeling symptoms of the disease who receive a negative test shouldn鈥檛 assume they don鈥檛 have Lyme.

The study found diagnosing the illness by blood testing was unreliable due to lab test kits in Canada not being sensitive enough to recognize all the strains of the disease.

Lyme has affected Canadian celebrities, such as Justin Bieber, Shania Twain and Avril Lavigne.

In 2015, Lavigne spoke on Good Morning America about her struggle to get a proper diagnosis, saying 鈥渢op doctors鈥� would instead point to 鈥渃hronic fatigue syndrome鈥� or depression.

鈥淭his is what they do to a lot of people that have Lyme disease. They don鈥檛 have an answer for them, so they tell them 鈥� 鈥榊ou鈥檙e crazy,鈥欌�� Lavigne said at the time.

The pop star isn鈥檛 the only one to discuss the struggle to get a diagnosis 鈥� some Canadian doctors have spoken out about the complexities of diagnosing, noting the symptoms of Lyme disease mimic other diseases and can affect any part of the body, including the brain, heart and nervous system.

Model . Her mother Yolanda and brother Anwar have also been diagnosed with the disease.

Others believe patients who think they have chronic Lyme with no evidence of infection are grappling with different illnesses and that treating them for Lyme masks the real cause of their symptoms, doing more harm than good.