Some alarming stats have been published in a report authored by John Scott, a research scientist with Lyme Ontario.
The study conducted in the Kenora district found eight different species of ticks carrying the Lyme bacteria, five of those types of ticks will bite humans.
Scott says 41% of ticks they tested were positive with high rates of bacteria.
He says the findings were a “shocking revelation”.
Scott believes the number of ticks carrying the disease remains consistent year-after-year.
He says from their studies on Corkscrew Island, their estimate is that the ticks have been there for more than 50-years, they have just been overlooked.
Adult ticks on the Kenora area island have a 73% infection rate, the highest ever recorded in Canada.
Scott says education is paramount in order to avoid contracting the crippling disease.
He notes the public should be aware of the dangers, but it’s especially important that doctors know what is out in the environment so they don’t misdiagnose patients.
Scott says local residents need to take special precautions to do tick checks at the end of each day and to wear protective clothing and gloves when out in the bush.
