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Powassan Voodoos bring back West Nipissing native to bolster lineup
Powassan Voodoos bring back West Nipissing native to bolster lineup

Ottawa Citizen

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • Ottawa Citizen

Powassan Voodoos bring back West Nipissing native to bolster lineup

Article content The Powassan brought back a familiar local player to their offensive group with the addition of forward Jesse Lefebvre. Article content The Voodoos acquired the 19-year-old product from Sturgeon Falls from the Renfrew Wolves of the Central Canadian Hockey League for a development fee. Article content 'It's great to be back around the Bay,' said Lefebvre, a 2022 draft pick of the North Bay Battalion. Article content Article content The 5-foot-9, 160-pound forward had nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 50 games in the CCHL last season. Article content Article content In his rookie season of Junior 'A' hockey with the French River Rapids in 2023-24, Lefebvre had 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points in 56 games. Article content In his final year of U18 hockey, Lefebvre racked up 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points in 28 games with the U18 AAA Trappers, who won the Great North U18 title in 2022-23. Article content During that season with the U18 Trappers, Lefebvre played the majority of his time alongside current Voodoos players Justin Rousseau and Caleb Dawson. Article content 'We already have that connection so it will work right away.' Article content Lefebvre becomes the 6th member of that U18 Trappers championship team from 2022-23 to join the Voodoos for the upcoming season, joining Rousseau, Dawson, Cayden Kowal, Anthony Boyes and Heath Bradley. Article content Article content 'He will still have to blend well with guys that are here, but I like the way it is looking and super excited to have six guys off one team that came together and won a championship, that doesn't happen very often,' said Peter Goulet, Powassan Voodoos head coach. Article content Aside from his offence, Lefebvre is also known as an agitator who proudly boasts he models his game after Stanley Cup winner Brad Marchand of the Florida Panthers. Article content 'I have always been a Marchand fan and I always will be,' said Lefebvre.

Climate change is driving a rise in tick-borne diseases. Here's what to know.
Climate change is driving a rise in tick-borne diseases. Here's what to know.

Winnipeg Free Press

time28-06-2025

  • Health
  • Winnipeg Free Press

Climate change is driving a rise in tick-borne diseases. Here's what to know.

TORONTO – A warming climate is driving a rise in Lyme disease and the introduction of lesser-known tick-borne diseases, public health specialists say. '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. 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. 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. WHAT KIND OF TICKS CARRY THESE DISEASES? 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 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. 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. THEN WHAT? People can take a photo of the tick and submit it to 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.

Deadly virus spread by deer tick kills 1, hospitalizes 2, Wisconsin officials say
Deadly virus spread by deer tick kills 1, hospitalizes 2, Wisconsin officials say

Miami Herald

time26-06-2025

  • Health
  • Miami Herald

Deadly virus spread by deer tick kills 1, hospitalizes 2, Wisconsin officials say

A deadly virus, transmitted through tick bites, killed one and hospitalized two others as of June, Wisconsin health officials said. Details about where and how the three individuals contracted Powassan virus in the state were not shared, however the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is recommending health care providers quickly test patients with symptoms of the 'rare' disease. 'POWV is rare, but there has been an increase in the number of cases reported in recent years,' officials said in a June 24 email to health care providers in the state. 'This increase could be from more people becoming infected with POWV, improvements in testing and diagnosis, or some combination of both.' Powassan virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged (deer) tick, officials said. The ticks contract the disease when they bite an infected animal, then pass it onto a human as they latch onto them. As of June 17, seven cases of the virus have been reported nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases were reported in Wisconsin, New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In 2024, 57 human cases were reported, the most since 2004, according to the CDC. Infection can present asymptomatically, according to the health department, or through a 'non-specific' illness or neurological disease. 'Initial symptoms commonly include fever, headache, vomiting, and generalized weakness. The disease can progress to encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, or aseptic meningitis,' officials said. The virus can later progress into seizures, speech problems or paralysis, among other symptoms. Deer ticks spread other diseases, including Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, health officials said. Experts with AccuWeather recommend long sleeves in areas where there may be ticks, such as woods or tall grass, and to check your body after spending time outdoors.

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