Alberta Health Services (AHS) is again operating its “Submit-A-Tick” surveillance program.
    Anyone who finds a tick on themselves, someone else, or their pet, or finds a tick outside, is able to submit it to Alberta Health Services for testing.
    This is the second year for the program. A voluntary program with AHS receiving ticks from veterinarians began in 2007.

Alberta is continuing its Submit-a-Tick surveillance program, asking anyone who finds a tick to submit it for testing.

    AHS asks people to phone and make an appointment for the tick drop off. Locally, to the Drumheller Environmental Public Health Office at (403) 823-3341, and at the Hanna Health Centre at (403) 854-5261.
    Valley Veterinary Clinic only accepts ticks found on pets, and they ask that people call first at (403) 823-5400.
    Ticks are sent to Edmonton to find if they’re carriers of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in humans.
    “Results of this program will help Alberta Health better understand the risk of Lyme disease in Alberta,” AHS states.
    The AHS site displays statistics showing that between 1998 and 2013, 51 cases of Lyme disease were reported to Alberta Health. All were reported as having been acquired while travelling outside of the province.
    The website is at www.health.alberta.ca/health-info/lyme-disease.html., and has instructions on the safe removal and storage of ticks for drop off.
    A completed list of AHS Environmental Health locations participating in “Submit-A-Tick” can be found there as well.
    To protect from tick bites, AHS suggests:
 - cover as much skin as possible when going into grassy or wooded areas. Wear a hat,  long sleeved shirt, and long pants with the legs tucked into the socks.
 - wear lightly coloured clothing to more easily spot ticks.
- use a spray that contains DEET to repel ticks.
- check yourself for ticks after you’ve been outside.
     AHS analyzed 960 ticks in 2013 that they received from across Alberta.
  Of those, they found 139 adult blacklegged ticks that were likely acquired in Alberta, not while travelling outside the province. Health Services notes it is not possible to know if the blacklegged ticks are established in Alberta.
    They found one in five blacklegged ticks were positive for the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Most of those were submitted from the greater Edmonton area.
    MyHealth.Alberta.ca cites western blacklegged ticks, along the pacific coast, mostly in southern British Columbia, and deer ticks, in the eastern and south-central areas of Canada, as the carriers of Borrelia burgdorferi  in Canada.
    They recommend ticks be removed as soon as they are noticed, adding infected ticks usually don’t spread Lyme disease until they’ve been attached for at least 36 hours.
    Ticks can carry other organisms that may cause diseases in humans such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus and Tularemia.
    AHS figures there are zero to three cases of these diseases reported to Alberta Health each year, mainly locally-acquired cases.

Drumheller was well represented at the Senior Bowl last weekend in Edmonton.
    Drumheller Titans coach Ken Fournier was named head coach for the Alberta South team, and Ryan Hatch acted as assistant coach. On the field, senior Alan Lister represented the valley.
    “He did really well,” said Fournier of Lister’s play. “He had the most points out of all the linebackers on the field. He has two solos, an assist, a sack for a loss and a fumble recovery.”
    All of this came in a single half of play for Lister. He was the first Drumheller Titan to play in a Senior Bowl.

(l-r) Ryan Hatch, linebacker Alan Lister and Ken Fournier at the Senior Bowl at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on May 19. Lister was the first Titan to play in the prestigious competition, Fournier was appointed head coach and Hatch was assistant coach.

    “For the last three years Alan has been my number one guy. He has been the leader on the defense since he entered that locker room three years ago, so to have this experience with him was special,” said Fournier.
    The Senior Bowl turned 25 years old, and it is a chance for the top players in the province to showcase their skills. They took to the field on Monday, May 19.
    This year the North beat the South in a close 14-10 finish.
    Fournier said his team came out firing hard and scored right away in the defensive battle. Penalties away from the ball however were costly for the team.
    “We capitalized on their mistakes early and they capitalized on our mistakes later on,” said Fournier.
    The South was able to score with less than three minutes left in the game, but it was called back.    
    “That’s how close it was,” said Fournier.
    Just to coach was a thrill for Fournier, but it was business.
    “The game was played in Commonwealth Stadium, and that is a rare opportunity,” said Fournier.
    “We ran a pretty structured weekend, it wasn’t a four day vacation, it was time to go to work.”