GANANOQUE -- A brief encounter with deer tick west of Brockville two weeks ago has turned hunting supply operator Glen George into "an evangelist" warning others about the tiny fiends which may carry Lyme disease.
"Every person that comes in gets the spiel," George told The Recorder and Times on Wednesday.
"I'm saying to them, 'Listen, you've got to be aware of it.' It's like I'm trying to convert them."
George is anxiously awaiting word from the public health board to see if the tick, a type which can carry Lyme disease, actually had the bacteria.
If so, he plans to see his doctor immediately for an antibiotic used as a treatment. Otherwise, the disease is extremely dangerous and can lead to all types of complications including paralysis, he said.
"It starts out like a cold but it goes downhill from there and you don't even know what you have."
George has found many ticks on deer hides left at his rural outfit east of Gananoque. Ironically, the one that latched onto him came from a walk in a park west of Brockville.
He knew enough to keep the tick in a jar to submit it for testing. Otherwise, if he came down with symptoms of Lyme disease which are similar to other ailments, the situation could have gone undiagnosed.
It's a point he's sure to tell the hunters in his store during his "spiel." Some hunters have admitted they crushed the insect when they found it on their bodies rather than keep it, said George.
"So many people aren't aware of (the disease and its consequences)."
He said there is some recognition that Lyme disease is found in the United States but people are surprised to hear the Lyme-carrying ticks are common along the Kingston to Brockville corridor where they have been declared endemic.
"It's not just the hunters who need to be warned," George said.
"Anybody who is walking in the outdoors, boy scouts camping, people horse riding, they all have to watch out.
"Because I'm on the front line, I'm really seeing it now."
George said he's taken 15 ticks off deer hides, including six that were still alive feeding off the skin.
He keeps the collection in a jar to show people what they should be looking for after spending time outdoors.
With a month left in the archery season for hunting deer and four more days in the gun season, George is sure to see even more of the dangerous insects in the near future.
Joan Mays, supervisor of health protection with the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, said inspectors are working with as many hunting-supply dealers, veterinarians and others who see evidence of the ticks to promote awareness and safety.
"With deer there will be lots of ticks and we're just letting the hunters know they're out there," said Mays.
Only some ticks are capable of carrying Lyme disease and of those types a liberal estimate would be 10 per cent actually harbour the bacteria, she said.
She said the tick has to be affixed for 24 hours for a person to contract the disease.
"If you didn't see the tick there this morning and you come back with a tick on you, chances are it hasn't been on for 24 hours."
She said a person should thoroughly inspect themselves after spending time in the woods. If a tick is located, it should be removed promptly with tweezers by gripping the head and pulling it out firmly but gently.
George also has come across a small tool, called a Tick Twister, he says works great in digging out the entire tick from under the skin.
"It works great," he said. "It's the best thing I've found."
The bite area should be treated with an antiseptic and the tick kept in a jar and submitted for analysis.
Mays said the health unit had 673 ticks submitted between January 1 and Nov. 9 with most coming from animals collected by veterinarians.
Of that total, she said 30 tested positive with 22 from animals and eight that came from humans.
In the human cases, people are notified and advised to see a doctor, who receives a copy of the test record, for treatment.
She said there should be little delay receiving a mild antibiotic.
Mays said a person bitten by a Lyme-carrying tick may show a red bulls-eye shaped mark where the insect was attached.
Not all people get this symptom and others may dismiss a small red mark left in many cases as a minor insect bite, she said.
Later, other symptoms will develop including a red, bumpy rash where the tick took hold and flu-like characteristics such as a general achiness, headache and fever.
Mays warned against letting the symptoms slide.
Left untreated, Lyme disease may progress and affect the heart, nervous system and the joints.
"It can be a debilitating disease."
George would like to advise people who find themselves with a tick to keep it for testing.
"If you find a tick, save it," he said. "Put it in a jar and take it to the Ministry of Health."
Published in Section A, page
3 in the Thursday, November 15, 2007 edition of the Brockville Recorder & Times. Posted 4:30:46 PM Thursday, November 15, 2007.
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