Some are just a bit creepy or annoying. I share my house with a few live-in spiders, but they keep to themselves. And there’s been a fruit fly in my office for days (No fruit. Just one fruit fly.)

But which bugs do we have to be particularly wary of this time of year?

Ticks and mosquitoes, says Sunnybrook infectious diseases specialist and microbiologist Dr. Samira Mubareka.

“Both ticks and mosquitoes can carry pathogens that can make humans sick,” she said. “Not every bug is infected, so don’t panic if you get bit. But it’s best for us to remain aware and take precautions.”

Let’s start with ticks. These little creepy crawlies have been in the news in recent years as their numbers have been on the rise and they’ve been found in urban areas.

“We are talking about black-legged, hard-bodied ticks,” Dr. Mubareka said. “They can transmit a whole range of bacteria, including Lyme disease.”

Ticks carrying Lyme disease have been found parts in Toronto, she added. It is a serious infectious disease that can cause life-long symptoms.

Not every tick carries the disease, Dr. Mubareka reminds us, but adult bugs, nymphs and larvae — though very tiny — can all pass along the bacteria.

“The little larvae and nymphs are difficult to notice on your skin, so it’s important that you give your body a close check after being in an area that could contain ticks.”

These bugs dwell in tall grassy areas and dead leaf piles, so wear long pants, longs sleeves and socks if you are hiking, playing or working in these kinds of environments.

“In the springtime, ticks show ‘questing’ behaviours — they stand on the edge of a blade of grass with their arms and legs outstretched, hoping to latch on to the next thing that walks by,” Dr. Mubareka explains.

If you develop a target lesion — a rash shaped like a bulls-eye — seek medical attention. If you find a tick on yourself, your children, or your pet, it can be removed with fine-tipped tweezers. Call Toronto Public Health 416-338-7600 to find out more about getting the tick tested.

Now, anyone who has lived in Toronto even for a short time knows about Canada’s dear friend nuisance the mosquito.

Besides their often itchy and irritating bites, they can also carry pathogens, most common being West Nile Virus.

“While most people suffer no symptoms or illness from West Nile — maybe just a mild fever and headache— the elderly or immune-compromised can become severely ill,” Dr. Mubareka said.

Public Health does testing for West Nile – mosquito surveillance and dead birds – and last summer, the virus was found in Toronto.

“It’s important to do surveillance for this and other emerging pathogens,” she added. “The methods we used to prevent the spread of West Nile virus can also limit the spread of other viruses transmitted by insects.”

To help protect you and your family from tick and mosquito – and other – bug bites, follow these tips:

• Wear long pants, long sleeves and socks if you’ll be in long grassy areas or dead leaves.
• Kill their habitats. Remove leaf litter. Dump out standing water. Mow your lawn regularly.
• Wear DEET bug spray
• Do tick checks – look over your whole body and check your kids / family and pets. The longer the tick is attached, the higher likelihood it will transmit a bacteria.

Find out more:

• Government of Ontario
• Toronto Public Health

A version of this column appears in the Leaside Streeter.

Post reviewed & updated August 2021

The post What bugs to watch out for this summer appeared first on Your Health Matters.

“Zika virus comes from the same family of viruses as Dengue fever and West Nile virus. It’s predominantly spread by the Aedes mosquito, although it is not circulating here in Canada so there’s no risk of contracting Zika by mosquito bite here,” says Dr. Andrew Simor, head, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases consultant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

There are, however, other ways the virus can be transmitted. And while most people who get Zika will never experience any symptoms, women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant are at much greater risk. Here are three things you need to know about Zika virus:

1) Most people don’t even know they have it

Only about 20% of people who are infected with Zika actually experience any symptoms. The rest have no idea they were ever infected with it at all. “If you do have symptoms, it will feel like having a mild flu,” says Dr. Simor. Fever, rash, nausea, joint and muscle pain, headaches and redness of the eyes are all signs of a Zika infection. The only way to know for sure, though, is by getting a blood test.

“There have been instances of people developing Guillain-Barre syndrome several weeks after a Zika infection, but it is rare,” says Dr. Simor. The overwhelming majority of people will fully recover from Zika.

2) Zika can be transmitted through sexual contact

Mosquitos are transmitting the Zika virus in other parts of the world, but not in Canada. So how else can someone get the virus? “The Zika virus stays in the blood for no more than a week, but it may persist in men’s semen for much longer- at least 60 days,” says Dr. Simor. The virus can then be transmitted to the man’s sexual partners.

So, if a man has traveled to a Zika affected part of the world, is bitten by a Zika-carrying mosquito, and contracts the virus (and he often won’t have any symptoms, so he won’t know he had Zika), he may transmit it to his sexual partner for months afterward. It is recommended that men who travel to or live in an area with Zika virus transmission and their non-pregnant sex partners should either abstain from (or use condoms during) sex, in order to reduce the risk of Zika virus transmission.

3) Women who are pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, are at highest risk

For healthy adults, contracting Zika is not serious- most will never even experience symptoms. However, the risk is much greater for women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. “There is a confirmed link between a women contracting Zika virus during pregnancy and microcephaly, which means the baby’s brain does not fully form, leading to cognitive impairment,” says Dr. Simor. It’s still unknown how often this happens, or at what point in the pregnancy the risk is highest, but it is important that women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant take precautions:

• Avoid travel to Zika affected areas
• If travel is unavoidable, take measures to avoid mosquito bites, such as using a mosquito repellant with DEET, using mosquito nets at night, and wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts
• Men from who have traveled from a Zika affected area should either avoid having sex, or use condoms during sex with their pregnant partners, for the duration of the pregnancy

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about Zika virus, discuss them with your doctor.

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