According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, the risk of becoming infected with Lyme disease is extremely low, with 0.5 cases per 100,000 people, and a tick infection rate of less than one per cent.
Bowen Island veterinarian Alistair Westcott believes the rate of infection may in fact be higher than that statistic, and in response, he is bringing the canine test for the disease to Bowen Island within the next month or so.
Westcott says he knows of four people on Bowen who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease.
“I think there’s enough evidence that the disease may exist here that we should approach this with a sense of measured concern,” he says. “I’m not interested in causing alarm, but Lyme disease should definitely not be taken lightly.”
Westcott says Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose in both humans and animals because it hides from the immune system and mimics other diseases such as MS, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s, and many other diseases.
“For humans there are tests but they are not always accurate, and sometimes there are false positives. Some people have a more obvious response than others, and symptoms vary,” says Westcott. “For dogs, the test is more simple. There is a specific antigen that is found in dogs if infection has in fact occurred, and that’s what the test looks for.”
The Lyme disease test for dogs costs roughly $75, and Westcott says he would likely administer it if a dog was showing suspicious symptoms, such as arthritis at an early age. Westcott says he believes once dogs start being tested for Lyme disease on Bowen, there will be more data that can help lead to a better understanding of the risks here.
As for people, Westcott recommends precautionary measures as well as measures to improve the data on Lyme disease.
“If you find a tick on your body, I would recommend getting a prescription for the Lyme disease antibiotic as a preventative measure. Also, because we’re not clear on the actual prevalence of the disease, I would take the tick into the BC Centre for Disease Control on 12th Street in Vancouver, near Cambie Street.”
He adds that a tick needs to be attached for at least 48 hours in order to transmit the disease.
“I would still say this is a much bigger problem in Eastern Canada, but, hopefully, we’ll have more data soon because we’ll be doing more testing.”
