How serious is Lyme Disease in MSP?

[Bluefox]

Yes, it’s a thing, but as long as you take precautions you’ll be fine. I recommend DEET when outdoors even in early spring, the ticks often come out before the trees start budding. Buy some gaiters if you plan to hike and always wear long pants. The ankle area is one of the most vulnerable places to ticks, and gaiters provide a valuable barrier. I have a pair of black diamond gaiters and love them. They’re also great protection against snow, mud, poison ivy, etc.

I would also recommend treating your outdoor/hiking clothes and shoes with permethrin. If a tick lands on permethrin treated clothing, it will be dead as a doornail. HOWEVER, be extremely careful with permethrin as it is also highly toxic, and often fatal, to cats that come into contact with it. So if you have cats keep permethrin and treated clothing away from them at all times and change out of them as soon as you get home.

Always do body checks after an outdoor activity, including the scalp. If you do find a tick that is latched on, remove it as soon as possible by completely covering it with petrol jelly/aquafor to suffocate it so that it releases itself, and go to the doctor to get tested along with the tick in a plastic bag. Your chances of contracting Lyme are much lower if the tick is removed within 24 hours.

[Gibby3000]

I know several people who’ve had it and I’ve been treated more than once after finding a deer tick attached. That said I think it’s unlikely you’d have much risk unless you’re in the woods.