[Music] Maryann Harris was a beloved artist and musician but in 2021 less than a day after she started experiencing symptoms of nausea double vision and fatigue Harris was on life support she wasn't conscious she was hooked up to like 70 different machines every time you do this her husband of four decades says the mystery illness left Harris paralyzed there was no response from her whatsoever it was just uh it was heartbreaking really tests later showed haris had paasen virus and she likely caught it from getting a tick bite in her own yard in Ottawa without ever knowing it there are multiple tick spread diseases on the rise in Canada lime disease is the most familiar with annual case counts now in the thousands Canada is also tracking poin virus plus babesiosis an infection caused by a parasite and a bacterial infection called anaplasmosis we're looking at hundreds and hundreds of cases this Federal research scientist says climate change is helping tick expand their range which could mean more infections in the years ahead and we are seeing a lot more case counts specifically always looking at Ontario Quebec and Nova Scotia the more you look the more you find infectious diseases specialist Dr Isaac bogos warns there needs to be more surveillance and awareness we've had these infections in the country for some time we just weren't aware of it or doing the appropriate diagnostic tests I guess that's one Harris's husband and sister say it took time for their loved one to get had a diagnosis what's worse there's no cure for poin virus for the last Almost 3 years you know she just coped with that and she was incredible haris passed away in hospital last month at the age of 71 her family wants more doctors to know the risks when they see someone with these kind of symptoms they have to start looking at the possibility of it being a tickborne illness experts say the best thing Canadians can do is prevent tick bites from happening in the first place wear long clothing and only walk on cleared paths even in urban areas and if you do find a tick on your body save it and bring it to your doctor Lauren Pell CBC News Toronto