Ottawa is prime tick country, and a scary new warning out of Ontario is a reminder of just how seriously local residents should be taking those little bugs before heading out to the Greenbelt, Gatineau Park, or any of the city's riverside trails this season.
An Ontario man recently shared his ordeal after a tick bite left him fighting anaplasmosis, a bacterial infection spread by blacklegged ticks — the same species found throughout Eastern Ontario, including right here in Ottawa. What started as a bite turned into a 10-day hospital stay, with the man describing the experience simply as "horrible." Health officials say his case isn't an isolated one — anaplasmosis cases are climbing across the province as tick populations expand their range and activity season.
Why This Matters for Ottawa
Ottawa Public Health has flagged the city's wooded and grassy areas — think the Greenbelt, the Ottawa River pathway system, Mer Bleue Bog, and Gatineau Park just across the river — as habitats where blacklegged ticks are established and monitored. These are the same ticks capable of transmitting not just Lyme disease, which most Ottawans have heard of, but also anaplasmosis, a less publicized but equally serious illness. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and in severe cases, complications requiring hospitalization, exactly what the Ontario man experienced.
With warmer temperatures extending tick season earlier into spring and later into fall, Ottawa residents who hike, garden, walk dogs, or let kids play in long grass are increasingly at risk. Public health messaging in the city has ramped up in recent years, but this case is a fresh reminder that the threat isn't hypothetical.
What Anaplasmosis Looks Like
Unlike Lyme disease, anaplasmosis doesn't always come with the telltale bullseye rash, which can make it trickier to catch early. Symptoms typically show up within one to two weeks of a bite and can escalate quickly if untreated, sometimes requiring IV antibiotics and hospital monitoring, as was the case for the Ontario man who came forward with his story.
How to Protect Yourself in Ottawa
Health officials recommend the basics, but they matter: wear long sleeves and pants when walking through tall grass or wooded areas, use an EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET or icaridin, stick to the center of trails, and do a full-body tick check after any time outdoors, paying close attention to the scalp, behind the ears, armpits, and groin.
If you do find a tick attached, remove it promptly with fine-tipped tweezers, grasping as close to the skin as possible, and watch for symptoms over the following weeks. Ottawa Public Health recommends seeing a doctor promptly if fever, rash, or flu-like symptoms develop after a bite, and mentioning the tick exposure directly, since anaplasmosis and Lyme disease aren't always top of mind for a standard walk-in visit.
With tick season well underway across the region, this is a timely nudge for anyone enjoying Ottawa's abundant green space to take a few extra precautions before heading outside.
Source: Global News Ottawa
