New Tick Test Could Make Minnesota Tick Season Less Stressful

Tick season is already in full swing across Minnesota, and honestly, if you’ve ever found one crawling on you or your dog after a hike, camping trip, or even just hanging in the backyard, you know the immediate spiral that follows.

Was it attached? How long was it there? Do I need to save it? Should I call the vet or doctor? Is this about to become one of those nightmare Lyme disease stories?

And if you’ve ever gone through a Lyme disease scare yourself, or know someone who has, this new technology coming out of MIT might feel like an absolute gamechanger.

According to a report from CBS News, an MIT researcher is about to make tick season a whole lot less stressful with a new at-home Lyme disease test called LymeAlert.

Get this: LymeAlert can actually detect Lyme disease in a tick in about 15 minutes.

Yes, seriously.

Instead of waiting days for appointments, lab work, or going down the Google rabbit hole, the idea is that you can test the actual tick at home almost immediately after finding it. And if it is carrying Lyme disease, you can move quickly and talk to a doctor before things potentially get much worse.

Also See: What Minnesotans Need to Know About the Rare and Potentially Deadly Tick-Born Powassan Virus

The timing totally makes sense too. According to the CDC, ER visits related to tick bites are currently at their highest levels since 2017.

Whether you’re hiking, walking trails with your dog, spending weekends at the cabin up north, or just trying to survive another summer of backyard weeds, ticks have become one of those unavoidable Minnesota realities. And anything that makes that part of summer a little less stressful is definitely worth paying attention to.

The new LymeAlert kits are expected to begin shipping in August.