With the tick population migrating and growing throughout the Windsor region, there is an increased risk of Lyme disease, even within the city, warn health officials as warm weather takes hold.
Surveillance Efforts Underway
A tick surveillance team conducted the annual spring scrape of high grasses in select locations, including Malden Park, on Friday. The effort aims to identify the presence of ticks, tiny arachnids that survive by latching onto humans and animals, feeding on blood, and commonly spreading illnesses like Lyme disease.
Amandeep Hans, a health promotion specialist at the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, noted that tick migration has been well documented in the region. A decade ago, Point Pelee was the only area with documented ticks. Now, ticks can thrive in city parks or any location with high vegetation.
“Now with the new mapping, most of Windsor-Essex County is endemic with ticks,” Hans said.
Tracking and Disease Prevalence
The health unit conducts tick dragging—running a white cloth over tall grass—twice a year, in spring and fall, to track tick populations and identify if they carry diseases.
“We have seen that more and more areas in Windsor-Essex have the tick population, and tick dragging is one of the ways to get that information,” she said.
Cases of Lyme disease in humans remain high in the region. Seventeen people contracted it in 2024, 14 in 2025, and two cases have already been reported this year. Lyme disease is a serious illness that can cause arthritis, heart disease, and nervous system problems.
Protection Measures
The health unit urges people to protect themselves when outdoors, even within the city. “You can find ticks in parks, any recreation areas, or even in the yard where you have any overgrown vegetation,” Hans said.
Before going into areas with tall vegetation, officials recommend wearing light-coloured clothing to make ticks easier to see, along with long sleeves and pants. Applying DEET-based insect repellent is advised, as is wearing closed-toed shoes and tucking pants into socks.
After returning indoors, a tick check and showering within two hours are recommended. Clothes can be placed in a dryer for 10 minutes to kill any ticks.
Removal and Medical Attention
If a tick is discovered, it should be removed immediately using clean tweezers, pulling straight out without twisting. The area should then be washed with soap and water and disinfected.
Medical attention should be sought if the tick has been embedded for longer than 24 hours or if symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle ache, tingling, or a bull’s-eye shaped rash develop.
— With files from Julie Kotsis
