What to know about Lyme disease amid ‘steady increase’ in Canada, U.S.
Cases of Lyme disease have been building steadily in Canada and the U.S. over the past few years, with the infectious tick-borne illness once again making its way into international headlines.
Justin Timberlake last week became the latest celebrity to announce he has been battling the “relentlessly debilitating” disease, which causes sometimes-severe symptoms that can persist for years.
Other high-profile cases in recent years include the Canadian musicians Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne and Shania Twain.
Lyme disease is passed on to humans through the bites of infected ticks, which thrive in warmer temperatures. Climate change and shifting weather patterns have created more favourable conditions for ticks beyond just the hot summer months, and has also allowed ticks to expand their habitats across Canada, bringing them into closer contact with humans and animals.
Health Canada warns that ticks can be active whenever the temperature stays above freezing and the ground isn’t snow-covered, creating a year-round risk.
“There has been a steady increase in the number of Lyme disease cases in Canada, primarily because the geographic range of ticks has changed over the last 20 years,” a Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) spokesperson told Global News in an email.
The latest national Lyme disease data shows there were 5,239 reported cases in Canada in 2024. However, PHAC says this preliminary count is likely an underestimation of the final total.
A decade ago, there were only 522 reported cases in 2014.
Similarly, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there were 89,470 Lyme disease cases in that country in 2023, the most recent year on record — a dramatic spike from 36,308 cases in 2013.
PHAC says beyond shifting animal populations and climate change creating more favourable conditions for ticks, “an increase in awareness of Lyme disease may also have resulted in more reported cases.”
Lyme disease is caused by a corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi and is primarily transmitted by infected black-legged deer ticks.
Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash. If left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.
Patients have sometimes reported agonizing pain that can last for years, sometimes disappearing and re-emerging.
In his social media post announcing his diagnosis, Timberlake said he had experienced “massive amount of nerve pain” as well as “crazy fatigue or sickness” while performing on stage during his just-completed world tour.
He added that at one point he was unsure if he could continue with the tour, but chose to push through.
Twain has said her bout of Lyme disease led to dysphonia, a medical condition that left her unable to sing, back in 2011 that took her a year to recover from.
Lavigne, who contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite in 2014, told People magazine a year later that she was left bedridden for five months.
“I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t talk, and I couldn’t move,” the Canadian singer said at the time. “I thought I was dying.”
Both Lavigne and Bieber, who revealed his battle with the disease in 2020, were forced to take years away from performing and touring while they recovered.
Last year, a 30-year-old Quebec woman opted for doctor-assisted death after years of battling the illness that left her bedridden, saying the intensity of the pain in her body was too much to bear.
Despite the growing concern about Lyme disease, current preventive measures are limited to using tick-repellent spray, using antibiotics and performing tick checks after spending time outdoors.
Health Canada says treating Lyme disease early improves the chance of recovery. However, it also warns symptoms may continue even after treatment, and that even continued antibiotic treatment “hasn’t been shown to improve symptoms or outcomes.”
There’s currently no Lyme disease vaccine available for humans. The last available vaccine, LYMERix, was discontinued in 2022 due to what the manufacturer called “insufficient consumer demand.”
However, there are clinical trials taking place in Europe and the U.S., according to Health Canada and the U.S. CDC.
Health authorities say the best way to prevent Lyme disease is to avoid tick bites.
Beyond using tick-repellant spray, people are advised to wear closed-toe shoes, tuck their shirts and pants, and wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants to spot ticks easily when going into outdoor areas where ticks are can be found.
Provincial and territorial health authorities have more information on where ticks are prominent. PHAC also has an online database of higher-risk areas across the country.
Health Canada also has information online on how to remove ticks from the body to avoid infection.
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