Experts Predict Bad Year For Ticks As Disease-carrying Bugs Expand Range In Canada

Tick bite on the forearm of a man in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on July 07, 2023. Experts predict bad year for ticks as disease-carrying bugs expand range in Canada. The prevalence of ticks that can carry Lyme disease is expected to be higher than ever in much of Canada this year, researchers say. Cases of the tick-borne disease increased in Canada by 150 per cent between 2020 and 2021, with almost 2,900 cases reported to the federal government last year. In Ontario, a 2019 University of Ottawa study found that one-third of black-legged ticks in the Ottawa region were carrying Lyme disease. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)