Tick season is underway in Manitoba and we are being reminded to take precautions to prevent Lyme disease. The disease is carried by the black-legged tick and can lead to serious health issues if not treated promptly. Dr. Michael Routledge is the Chief Medical Officer of Health for Southern Health. He says southeastern Manitoba is now a hot zone for this type of tick.

Black-legged ticks are very small and can appear to look like a tiny mole."Gradually, we've increased the pockets in southern Manitoba where these ticks are known to occur and one area that we added one last year was southeast of Steinbach in the Sandilands area. Both indicators are suggesting exactly what we have expected which is that, over time, we are seeing more of these ticks in southern Manitoba."

Dr. Routledge adds there's no question cases of Lyme disease are on the increase in southern Manitoba.

"It's actually following a pattern we predicted several years ago that we're seeing gradually increasing populations of these ticks in southern Manitoba. Last year, the number we've got identified so far is 21 cases for 2017. That's up a little bit from the previous year so, not a significant jump but it is an increase."

Dr. Routledge says if you live in wooded areas or if you're out hiking there, take precautions to avoid letting ticks get onto your skin and always do a tick check afterward.

Marnie Le Page is with Manitoba lyme.com, a group of volunteers dedicated to spreading awareness about Lyme disease. She says it is entirely preventable, "in terms of preventing the tick bite in the first place and knowing what to watch for if you are bitten by a tick and then getting treated properly right away, then the outcomes are very good. So, knowledge is power is where this disease is going right now."

One sign of the disease is a bullseye rash. But that doesn't always happen. She says other symptoms include things like fatigue, nausea, unexplained muscle aches, fever and Bell's Palsy. She adds if you have any suspicion that you might have Lyme disease, get it checked right away because it is treatable with antibiotics.

"If they can get that, then the outcome is very good. If you're not able to get that, then it becomes very complicated, both in diagnosing and treatment. The risk is if you don't get treated for Lyme disease, it's a very debilitating disease that's very, very hard to treat down the road. It's a bacterial infection, so the longer that bacteria is in your body, the more it's going to spread and make a home in it and it's going to be harder to get rid of. It's a very manipulative bacteria."

Tomorrow, we'll hear two differing opinions about whether Manitoba's testing for Lyme disease is adequate.