“Climate change in Canada is happening at a much more accelerated rate than we see in parts of the rest of the world,” said Heather Coatsworth, chief of field studies at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

“Ticks, which are eight-legged organisms, but general bugs, all require a certain amount of heat and humidity to complete their life cycle,” she said.

1:33 Tick season in Manitoba

Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia continue to be the hot spots for blacklegged ticks, which can carry bacteria, parasites and viruses that cause disease in humans — but the changing climate is allowing the tick population to grow in other parts of the country, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Coatsworth said.

Janet Sperling, a scientist who specializes in bugs and the president of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, said that means increased awareness of tick-borne illnesses is needed not only among the public, but among primary-care providers and infectious disease specialists.

“A lot of doctors have been told — this was their training — ‘you can’t get Lyme disease in Alberta; if you don’t have a travel history don’t worry about it,'” said Sperling, who lives in Edmonton.

“There’s no doubt that it has changed and the education hasn’t caught up with some of the doctors,” she said.

The rise in tick-borne disease doesn’t mean you should stay inside, experts agree. But you can protect yourself. Here’s what to know about the illnesses and how to safely enjoy the summer weather.

How common is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease has been on the rise in Canada and the United States for several years. When provincial public health units started monitoring it in 2009, they reported 144 cases across the country. The preliminary case count for 2024 is 5,239, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The real number is likely higher because many people may have had very general symptoms and never got a diagnosis, Coatsworth said.

“There’s estimates that if things keep going the way they are and climate change keeps going the way things go, that in 25 years we’d have about half a million cases of Lyme disease here in Canada,” she said.

What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?

Lyme disease can feel like many other illnesses and may bring on fever, chills, fatigue, headache, swollen lymph nodes and/or muscle and joint aches.

One telltale sign of Lyme disease is a rash that looks like a bull’s eye, a target or that is circular or oval-shaped.

But Coatsworth cautions that about 30 per cent of people who are infected never get a rash, so a Lyme disease diagnosis shouldn’t be ruled out if people have other symptoms.

2:10 Ticks season brings renewed threat to Alberta’s outdoors

What are some other tick-borne diseases?

In the last couple of years, some provinces have started monitoring three other diseases spread by blacklegged ticks: anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus.

Of those, anaplasmosis — although still rare — seems to be growing the fastest, said Coatsworth: “It’s kind of the new kid on the block.”

When public health officials first started monitoring it around 2012, there were about 10 to 50 cases per year in Canada.

There were more than 700 cases of anaplasmosis reported last year, Coatsworth said.

“It’s really picking up speed within the population.”

The symptoms of anaplasmosis can be similar to Lyme disease, without a rash. They can also include cough, diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Babesiosis can also cause similar symptoms to Lyme disease without a rash, but it often causes anemia as well, Coatsworth said.

Powassan virus can cause fever, chills, headache, vomiting and general weakness but it often progresses to serious neurological symptoms, such as encephalitis (brain swelling) and meningitis.

Can these diseases be treated?

Lyme disease and anaplasmosis are both caused by bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics, usually starting with doxycycline, said Coatsworth.

Babesiosis is caused by a parasite and is similar to malaria, she said. It can be treated with anti-parasitic medications.

There is no treatment for Powassan virus. Patients are treated with supportive care, which can include intravenous fluids, medications to reduce brain swelling and respiratory assistance.

2:19 Peterborough Public Health shares tick season tips

What kind of ticks carry these dieases?

Two types of blacklegged ticks carry these diseases: Ixodes scapularis, also called a deer tick, is found in several parts of Canada, especially Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. In parts of British Columbia, the dominant tick is Ixodes pacificus, also known as the western blacklegged tick.

Ticks feed on the blood of deer, mice, rabbits and other mammals, as well as birds and reptiles. Birds can carry the ticks long distances, so they can be transported to different parts of Canada.  The ticks get infected if the host animal is infected, and they in turn transmit the disease to humans when they bite them and latch on.

What do the ticks look like?

“A lot of people are very surprised when I show them a blacklegged tick. They can’t believe how small they are,” said Dr. Curtis Russell, a vector-borne disease specialist at Public Health Ontario.

An adult tick that isn’t full of blood is about the size of a sesame seed. A younger tick is about the size of a poppyseed.

Where are the ticks found?

Ticks are found in wooded and grassy areas, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

That includes forests, parks and hiking trails, but ticks can also live in more populated areas, Coatsworth said.

“(It’s) a lot about the animals that exist in those environments. So a lot of those are peri-urban spaces … kind of those in-between spaces that now have become just maybe your local neighbourhood park where there’s a lot more squirrels. Small rodents and white-tailed deer, especially, have really contributed to sustaining the populations of ticks.”

How do I prevent tick bites?

Preventing tick bites is similar to repelling mosquitoes, said Dr. Mayank Singal, a public health physician with the BC Centre for Disease Control.

Wearing long sleeves, long pants and using bug spray are all important measures. Choosing light-coloured clothing is best because it’s easier to spot a tick when it lands.

Singal also encourages “trying to not come in contact with foliage and bushes, because that’s typically how they will latch on.”

Russell said that means when hiking, stay in the middle of the trail.

After outdoor activities, do a full-body tick check, including parts of the body that weren’t exposed. Russell suggested taking a bath or a shower.

“You can check all your areas where the ticks might have been and if they haven’t bit you yet … they can maybe wash off,” Russell said.

“They usually crawl around … before they bite and they usually tend to bite your hairline, your armpits, the back of your legs, your groin area.”

Russell also recommends washing your clothes and putting them in the dryer, where the high heat will kill ticks.

1:54 Research shows lemongrass essential oil can repel ticks

If I find a tick, should I remove it?

Yes. Do it with tweezers as soon as possible, experts agree.

A tick will embed its mouth in the skin as with the legs sticking out and it’s important to remove the whole tick.

“You want to grab it as close to the skin edge as possible, squeeze the tweezers … and grab the tick and then pull it straight up,” said Singal.

“We don’t want to twist, we don’t want to go left and right. Just pull it straight up so that we get all of it out as much as possible.”

It generally takes about 24 hours for the tick to transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis or babesiosis while it’s latched on.

Powassan virus can be transmitted as quickly as 15 minutes after attachment, but very few ticks currently carry the virus, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

4:22 Healthy Living: Tick season in Saskatchewan

Then what?

People can take a photo of the tick and submit it to etick.ca, along with information about where you were when you think it bit you. The service, run by several universities and public health agencies, will tell you what kind of tick it is and how much tick-borne disease risk there is in the area.

If you had a tick on you and begin to develop any symptoms, see your health-care provider and let them know you were possibly exposed to tick-borne illness, Russell said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

“As things stand, all hypotheses must remain on the table, including zoonotic spillover and lab leak,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing Friday.

His comments came after a report published Friday from the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), which said “available evidence” supports the hypothesis that the coronavirus jumped from animals to humans, likely from bats “or through an intermediate host,” through a process called zoonotic spillover.

SAGO is a panel of 27 independent, international, multidisciplinary experts formed by the World Health Organization to advise on technical and scientific considerations regarding emerging and re-emerging pathogens, like COVID-19.

“While most available and accessible published scientific evidence supports hypothesis #1, zoonotic transmission from animals, possibly from bats or an intermediate host to humans, SAGO is not currently able to conclude exactly when, where and how SARS-CoV-2 first entered the human population,” the report reads.

It notes the closest known “precursor strains” were identified in bats in China and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, but says the strains are too distantly related to the virus to be the direct source of the pandemic.

The report notes that some of the difficulty in determining a cause is due to China not having shared certain information, which also has made it difficult to examine the second hypothesis suggesting an accidental lab leak.

The WHO requested the country share hundreds of genetic sequences from individuals with COVID-19 early in the pandemic, as well as more detailed information about the animals sold at markets in Wuhan, and information on work done and biosafety conditions at laboratories in Wuhan.

“To date, China has not shared this information either with SAGO or WHO,” a news release says.

Marietjie Venter, the chair of the group, said on Friday during a press briefing that without the necessary data, it could not evaluate if the virus was the result of a lab accident.

“Therefore, this hypothesis could not be investigated or excluded,” Venter said. “It was deemed to be very speculative, based on political opinions and not backed up by science.”

That hypothesis is one U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested as the cause, though a U.S. intelligence analysis found there was insufficient evidence to prove the theory.

1:57 WHO says COVID-19 origins still under investigation despite recent reports

Two other hypotheses were also provided in the report, the first being the introduction of the virus into animal markets via “cold chain processes” and subsequent infection in humans through contact with products sold at the market.

Venter said no added evidence has become available to support the hypothesis and more data is needed to prove it.

The last hypothesis, involving deliberate manipulation of the virus in a laboratory, followed by a biosafety breach, remains unsupported, with Venter noting that SAGO examined the genome structure of the virus and any related publications and reports but found no evidence to support it.

All four hypotheses will be re-evaluated if further information becomes available, but Venter said the first related to zoonotic spillover is considered the supported hypothesis.

“Until more scientific data becomes available, the origins of how SARS-CoV-2 entered human populations will remain inconclusive,” she said.

Ghebreyesus recognized during the briefing that the task of investigating the cause was difficult, and told reporters that members of SAGO have not all agreed on everything, which is “to be expected.”

He said earlier this week that one member of the team resigned and three others asked for their names to be removed from the report.

Ghebreyesus went on to express concerns that China had not provided further information and encouraged it, as well as other governments he said have conducted COVID-19 investigations, to provide this data.

Last year, The Associated Press found that the Chinese government had frozen meaningful domestic and international efforts to trace the virus’s origins in the first weeks of the outbreak in 2020, and that the WHO may have missed early opportunities to investigate how the pandemic began.

Chinese officials have repeatedly dismissed the idea the pandemic could have started in a lab, saying the search should be conducted in other countries.

Last September, researchers zeroed in on a short list of animals they think might have spread COVID-19 to humans, including raccoon dogs, civet cats and bamboo rats.

— with files from The Associated Press 

Health Canada has issued a public advisory warning Canadians about buying health products online after an international operation against counterfeit medicine saw thousands of packages stopped or seized before entering the country.

From Dec. 16, 2024, until May 16, 2025, Interpol led an operation across 90 countries, Operation Pangea XVII, that resulted in the seizure of 50.4 million doses of illicit pharmaceuticals worth more than $88 million, with 769 suspects arrested and 123 criminal groups dismantled worldwide, the largest seizures and arrests in the organization’s history.

“Fake and unapproved medications are a serious risk to public health. They can include dangerous or illegal ingredients potentially resulting in severe illness, or even death,” said David Caunter, director pro tempore of organized and emerging crime at Interpol.

In Canada’s case, Health Canada inspected 19,193 packages coming into the country, stopping 7,096 from entering and seizing another 539 at the border suspected of containing counterfeit or otherwise unauthorized health products worth an estimated $378,000.

About 69 per cent of the seized products were sexual enhancement medications, and another 10 per cent were supplements, including herbal and dietary forms.

About four per cent were veterinary and antiparasitic drugs, two per cent were hormones, two per cent were antibiotics and one per cent were weight loss drugs.

“Health products sold online may seem legitimate and safe, but some may not actually be authorized for sale in Canada and could be dangerous to your health,” Health Canada says in a news release.

It notes that unauthorized health products have not been assessed by Health Canada for safety, efficacy and quality and could pose serious risks as a result.

For example, the products could be fake, badly stored, mislabelled, expired or subject to recalls.

“Unauthorized drugs or natural health products may have no active ingredients, the wrong ingredients, or dangerous additives such as prescription drugs not listed on the label,” Health Canada says. “Unlicensed medical devices might be low quality, may not work, or may be unsafe.”

Wednesday’s public advisory is urging Canadians to take steps to protect themselves, including by contacting the pharmacy regulatory authority in their province or territory if they have questions about an online pharmacy to ensure it is safe to order from.

Canadians are also advised to consult with a health-care professional, such as their doctor or pharmacist, if there are questions about a health-care product and report adverse events or complaints involving drugs, natural health products or medical devices, including illegal products, to Health Canada.

People can also check the recalls and safety alerts database for advisories on illegal health products if they have concerns. Health Canada noted that it maintains lists of authorized sexual enhancement products, skin lightening and other skin treatments, workout supplements and poppers — alkyl nitrate, which is sometimes used for recreational purposes.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the country is pulling its support from the vaccines alliance Gavi, saying the organization has “ignored the science” and “lost the public trust.”

A video of Kennedy’s short speech was shown to a Gavi meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, where the organization that has paid for more than 1 billion children to be vaccinated through routine immunization programs was hoping to raise at least US$9 billion for the next five years.

Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, mentioned Gavi’s partnership with the World Health Organization during COVID-19, accusing them of silencing “dissenting views” and “legitimate questions” about vaccine safety. His speech also cast doubt on the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine — which WHO and other health agencies have long deemed to be safe and effective.

Gavi said in a statement Thursday that its “utmost concern is the health and safety of children,” adding that any decision it makes on vaccines to buy is done in accordance with recommendations issued by WHO’s expert vaccine group.

Some doctors in the United States criticized the decision. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said it was “incredibly dangerous” and warned that defunding immunization would put millions of children at risk.

Gavi is a public-private partnership including WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation and the World Bank, and it is estimated that the vaccination programs have saved 18 million lives. The United States has long been one of its biggest supporters; before President Donald Trump’s re-election, the country had pledged US$1 billion through 2030.

1:50 Alberta mother urges everyone to get measles vaccine after baby hospitalized

In just under four minutes, Kennedy called on Gavi “to justify the US$8 billion America has provided in funding since 2001,” saying officials must “consider the best science available, even when that science contradicts established paradigms.” Kennedy said until that happens, the U.S. won’t contribute further to Gavi.

The health secretary zeroed in on the COVID-19 vaccine, which WHO, Gavi and other health authorities have recommended for pregnant women, saying they are at higher risk of severe disease. Kennedy called that a “questionable” recommendation; his U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently stopped recommending it.

He also criticized Gavi for funding of a rollout a vaccine to prevent diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis in poorer countries, saying he’d seen research that concluded that young girls who got the vaccine were more likely to die from all other causes than children who weren’t immunized.

Gavi said scientists had reviewed all available data, including any studies that raised concerns, and that the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine has “played a key role in helping halve childhood mortality.”

Some observational studies have shown that vaccinated girls do have a higher death rate compared to unvaccinated children, but there is no evidence the deaths are caused by the vaccine. But Offit said the studies cited by Kennedy were not convincing and that research examining links between vaccinations and deaths did not prove a causal connection.

“There’s no mechanism here which makes biological sense for why the (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine) might result in more children dying,” Offit said.

Offit also called Kennedy’s decision to withdraw support from Gavi “incredibly short-sighted and selfish,” saying that it would put the U.S. at higher risk of disease outbreaks imported from elsewhere.

“If you’re talking about an ‘America-first’ stance, this is just not a very smart thing to do,” Offit said.

Kennedy’s recorded speech to Gavi came on the same day that his reconstituted U.S. vaccine advisory panel met for the first time.He fired the previous 17-member panel this month and replaced it with a seven-member group that includes several vaccine skeptics.

An average of 20 Canadians died from an opioid overdose every day last year, federal health officials say, despite opioid-related drug toxicity deaths falling 17 per cent from the year before.

The data for 2024 released Wednesday by the Public Health Agency of Canada showed 7,146 deaths were recorded last year. Eighty per cent of those occurred in just three provinces — British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario — although all three saw decreases from 2023.

Increased deaths in 2024 compared to the year prior were reported in Quebec, the Northwest Territories and Newfoundland and Labrador, according to a joint statement from the country’s chief medical officers of health, chief coroners and chief medical examiners.

“Due to colonialization and continued marginalization, many Indigenous communities have also experienced increases in deaths and disproportionate harms, particularly among Indigenous women,” the statement said.

Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island saw “little or no change” in deaths between 2023 and 2024, while all other provinces and territories saw decreases.

Hospitalizations related to opioid poisoning also declined in 2024 by 15 per cent, with 5,514 patients nationwide. There were 24,587 emergency room visits and 36,266 responses by emergency first responders to suspected opioid-related overdoses last year, both also down by about 15 per cent on average.

0:32 B.C. releases toxic drug death data from 2024

The statement from health officials noted some provinces and territories believe the decreases in deaths “may be attributable — at least in part — to a shift to lower toxicity of the drug supply, based on drug checking data indicating a decrease in fentanyl concentrations.”

Fentanyl still accounted for about three-quarters of all opioid-related deaths in 2024, according to the data. While that rate is up from just over 40 per cent in 2016, it appears to have stabilized in recent years.

Between January 2016 and December 2024, a total of 52,544 apparent opioid toxicity deaths were reported, according to federal data.

“In 2024, an average of 20 people died every day from opioid toxicity in Canada, representing a tremendous loss,” Wednesday’s statement said.

“Notably, some regions reported a rise in deaths involving substances other than opioids, such as stimulants or benzodiazepines.”

3:59 Health Matters: Stimulants increasingly detected among drug toxicity deaths

Overdose deaths in the United States also declined by double digits last year.

An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released in May. That’s down 27 per cent from the 110,000 in 2023 — the largest one-year decline ever recorded.

Public health and drug policy experts have attributed the sharp decline to increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, expanded addiction treatment and a shift away from drugs by young people after waves of deaths among older users.

Those experts have also pointed to the growing impact of over US$50 billion in money won through settlements of lawsuits against opioid manufacturers like Purdue Pharma, as well as consulting firms like McKinsey & Company that U.S. states alleged advised drugmakers on how to boost their sales.

Several states have been directing that money toward recovering health-care costs, as well as funding addiction treatment programs, overdose prevention sites, anti-drug education and other initiatives.

The latest such settlement was reached earlier this month between 55 U.S. state and territory attorneys general and Purdue, which agreed along with members of the Sackler family to pay US$7.4 billion. Local governments and individual victims will have until Sept. 30 to approve the settlement.

B.C., which declared a public health emergency for the overdose crisis in 2016, has led several similar class-action lawsuits on behalf of the federal, provincial and territorial governments against drugmakers. It won $150 million from Purdue in a settlement first announced in 2022, and additional lawsuits were certified in court this year.

McKinsey has denied it did any work in Canada to enhance the sale or marketing of opioids. The Canadian lawsuit against the firm alleges Canadian subsidiaries of Purdue and other drugmakers used the same tactics as the American companies McKinsey allegedly advised.

—With files from the Associated Press