As people start to venture out more into fields and forests, there is a warning from health officials about Lyme disease and a potentially deadly tick virus.

Officials with the Grey Bruce Health Unit say you may not feel a tick bite and that’s a concern because some types of ticks can carry Lyme disease. One of the first symptoms is often a rash around the bite.

“There could be arthritis, there could be neurological implications and in very rare cases there be cardiac implications,” says Angela Newman with the Grey Bruce Health Unit.

The number of Lyme disease cases in Canada has been increasing every year. In 2013, more than 680 cases were reported to public health officials. For the first time last year a woman in Bruce County was bitten by what's called a blacklegged tick that later tested positive for the bacteria. So far no ticks found in Simcoe County have tested positive. 

The Public Health Agency of Canada has also start testing blacklegged ticks for a potentially deadly virus called Powassan disease. The testing comes after a number of cases were reported in the U.S. The virus can cause inflation of the brain, nausea and vomiting. 

The Powassan virus has now been detected in ticks in seven provinces in Canada, including Ontario. 

Local health units have not been given any specific directions from the province to monitor for the Powassan virus but they recommend taking precautions against ticks in general, wearing long pants and sleeves outdoors and checking your body for ticks. 

“If you find a tick, remove it immediately. There is a window of time between when it attaches and when it will inject the bacteria into your body. They say about 24 hours is that window so if you find a tick and you remove it right away your chances of being exposed to Lyme disease is very, very low,” adds Newman.

Tick season generally starts in mid-summer. If you have been bitten by a tick, you can save it in a small container and deliver it your local health unit and they will have it tested.