Sudbury toddler treated for possible Lyme disease

After her two-year-old daughter was affected, a Sudbury mother has a warning for people who spend time in the woods.

Sarah Devoe and her family had no idea a stroll down a wooded trail in the city would lead to a quick trip to the doctor. Her daughter developed welts after being in the woods.

"I just thought she was having a reaction to mosquito bites," she said. "Two days later they turned into the bull's-eye marking."

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Bull's-eye marks on the skin are one of the signatures of Lyme disease.

"I had just read an article from the health unit about Lyme disease and tick bites and called the doctor's office," Devoe continued.

"They said absolutely, bring her right in."

Devoe said the family's doctor prescribed a course of antibiotics to ward off the disease, and her daughter is expected to fully recover.

If left untreated, Lyme disease can cause severe joint pain and a loss of mobility.

Ticks' range expanding

Sudbury is not an area of the province where people usually worry about contracting Lyme disease.

The black-legged ticks that carry Lyme disease are most common on the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and near Rainy River in the northwestern region of the province. Ticks can latch on if people are in grassy areas, as well in wooded areas.

But Curtis Russell with Public Health Ontario said their range has been expanding, thanks to migratory birds.

"Wherever they land they have the potential to drop ticks off."

Sudbury is still considered a low-risk area, but the local health unit is watching closely for cases.

It says one tick so far this year has tested positive for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. And some horses in the city have also been treated for the symptoms.

Devoe's case is not considered a confirmed human case of Lyme disease by the health unit, because the tick was not found and couldn't be tested.

But the health unit said any cases that involve a bullseye rash are considered 'probable cases' of lyme disease.

Currently the Sudbury health unit does passive monitoring: they test any ticks that people bring in. Areas of the province considered high risk have active monitoring: public health officials go into park areas and drag cloths across grassy areas to pick up ticks, which are then tested.