These Minnesota Counties Are Highest Risk For Tickborne Illnesses

It's tick season. No matter how hard you try, these parasites seem to find a way every year to get on your skin. In Minnesota, there are certain areas of the state that have more reports of tick-borne illnesses, some of which can be very serious and even fatal.

The Minnesota Department of Health tracks tickborne disease cases in the state. It's estimated that 1 in 3 adult black-legged ticks carry the bacteria that cause Lyme Disease.

Diseases spread by ticks in Minnesota include Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, and Powassan Virus Disease. There are even more diseases that have been reported, but are very rare.

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Lyme Disease has been increasing in recent years. Using data collected from 1996-2022, you can see the confirmed cases and probable cases rising over time.

The department of health has data from each county on what the average incidence of cases of anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Lyme Disease per 100,000 people. Many counties in Minnesota are in the high disease risk level.

Unfortunately, most of the state is in a high-risk area. It includes all of the Northeast Arrowhead region of Minnesota, as well as much of North and Northwest Minnesota. The only regions with a low risk level of tickborne illnesses are in the Southwest and South-Central counties.

Learn more about how to protect yourself from tick bites and the potential diseases that come with them. Be sure to monitor any tick bites that may occur, and seek medical attention.

Read More: Deadly Tickborne Illness On The Rise In Minnesota