Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care is urging residents to be cautious of ticks as they can transmit serious diseases such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus disease. These diseases pose a significant risk, especially to older adults, young children, and individuals with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions.

Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are the primary concern. They can be found anytime there is no snow on the ground, with peak activity in spring and fall. Unlike the more common wood ticks, which are merely a nuisance, blacklegged ticks can transmit diseases.

Public health officials recommend that anyone who has removed a tick should visit a healthcare provider within 72 hours for preventative treatment for Lyme disease, particularly if the tick was a blacklegged tick that was attached for 36 hours or more, or if the tick was engorged.

Residents are advised to distinguish between blacklegged ticks and wood ticks. Blacklegged ticks have a red-orange body, black legs, a black spot on their back, and are smaller than wood ticks. Adult females are about the size of a sesame seed. When attached and feeding, they become larger and change colour to grey and brown. Wood ticks are larger, brownish in colour, with white markings on their back.

The department encourages anyone who finds a tick on animals, humans, or in various habitats to submit a picture to have it identified by experts. This will confirm if the tick belongs to a species capable of transmitting diseases.

To reduce the risk of tick bites and disease exposure, the department recommends applying an appropriate tick repellent on exposed skin and clothing, wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts, tucking in clothing to create a barrier, staying to the centre of walking trails, inspecting yourself, children and pets after spending time outdoors, removing ticks as soon as possible from people and pets using tweezers, and keeping grass and shrubs around homes cut short to create drier environments that are less suitable for tick survival.

Due to milder winters and shifting weather patterns caused by climate change, ticks are expanding their geographical range to more regions of the province, although southern Manitoba remains the highest-risk area.

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. For more information about blacklegged ticks, tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease, prevention, and treatment, visit the Manitoba Health website.

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